Rare 4.0 earthquake recorded off Florida coast

Katlyn Brieskorn
·1 min read

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A rare 4.0 magnitude earthquake was recorded off Florida’s east coast Wednesday night.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was recorded about 100 miles off Cape Canaveral around 10:48 p.m. Wednesday.

USGS data shows the quake occurred about 6 miles underneath the ocean floor.

As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, more than a dozen people reported that they felt weak shaking in places like Merritt Island, Melbourne and Satellite Beach.

Magnitude scales show that a 4.0 earthquake is often felt but only causes minor damage.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the risk of earthquakes in Florida is very low.

Max Defender 8 Meteorologist Amanda Holly said the closest fault line to Florida runs through the Caribbean Sea, just north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and south of Cuba toward Guatemala.

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