A magnitude-4.1 earthquake centered in Delaware reverberated along the East Coast on Thursday afternoon — an unusual occurrence in the region that caught people from Virginia to New York off guard.

The United States Geological Survey placed the quake’s center about six miles northeast of Dover, Del.

A spokesman for the Dover Police Department said that as of about 5:30 p.m. the agency had not received any reports of property damage or injuries in connection with the quake.

The spokesman, Mark Hoffman, said that at his home about three miles south of the city, the shaking was enough to disturb Christmas lights and stockings, but not violent enough to scare his children.