Little information is known about an earthquake that occurred on October 5, 1817. The most storied earthquake in the history of the northeastern U.S. is the one that occurred about 4:30 a.m. on November 18, 1755. Walls were reported thrown down at Woburn, MA but additional details are lacking.There also were several moderate earthquakes centered in southeastern Massachusetts that were felt notably in the state but caused no damage. The February 5, 1663 (Gregorian date) earthquake, which was centered in Quebec and had an estimated magnitude of 7.5, damaged some chimneys in Roxbury, MA. © 2020 Northeast States Emergency Consortium. Damage to chimneys and brick walls was reported at several towns in northeastern Massachusetts, at Portsmouth, NH and at Portland, ME. The December 20, 1940 and December 24, 1940 shocks, which were centered in the Ossipee Mountains of New Hampshire and each of which had an estimated magnitude of 5.6, were felt strongly in Massachusetts but caused no damage. The 1755 earthquake followed an earlier strong shock that was centered near Newburyport, MA on October 29, 1727 on the Julian calendar. People had trouble standing without hold on to something, although no damage was reported in Massachusetts due to this earthquake.
All rights reserved. Some streets in Boston were so covered with bricks that they were all but impassible. The magnitude 5.8 and 5.5 earthquakes on January 9, 1982 and January 11, 1982, both centered in New Brunswick, the magnitude 5.9 earthquake on November 25, 1988 centered north of Quebec City, and the magnitude 5.8 earthquake on August 23, 2011 centered at Mineral, VA were all felt throughout Massachusetts but with no damage reported.Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.Connect with us on the following social media platforms. The magnitude 6.2 earthquake of November 1, 1935 with an epicenter in western Quebec was felt noticeably in the western part of Massachusetts but caused no damage. The June 1, 1638 (Julian date) earthquake, which is thought to have been centered north of Concord, NH and had an estimated magnitude of 6.5, was felt very strongly in Massachusetts. Most of the earthquakes have been in the northeastern part of the state, with also a large number of earthquakes were centered in the south coast area and Cape Cod. These events were on August 8, 1847, on September 21, 1876, on April 24, 1925 and on January 28, 1940 at 6:12 p.m. This earthquake had an epicenter probably about 30 miles east of Cape Ann, MA, and based on its felt area from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Winyah, SC and to the northwestern end of Lake Champlain, its estimated magnitude is 6.2. This shock had an estimated magnitude of 5.6, and it damaged chimneys, caved in some cellar walls, and threw down stone fences in the Newburyport area. It was followed by over one hundred local aftershocks that were felt by residents in the Newburyport area. The 1727 earthquake was felt as far away as Philadelphia, PA and Penobscot Bay, ME.