4.0 earthquake shakes Maine, felt in Boston

USATODAY

A minor earthquake rattled southern Maine this evening and was felt throughout New England.

Update at 8:40 p.m. ET: Nonplussed by the relatively small quake, some Twitterers have weighed in with a little humor:

Californians Declare 4.5 Magnitude Earthquake 'Absolutely Adorable.' @MrWordsWorth

Great earthquake of our time. @Ayo_61

Hour one after earthquake: food is low. Water is almost gone. Supplies on the verge if nothing. Survival is not likely. @billbro_baggins

Earthquake in Maine just felt in downtown Boston. I'm guessing tons of babies born 9 months from tonight. @ryanwhitney6

There was just an earthquake outside Portland, Maine. Look for Stephen King's 1000-page novelization, Doomquake, in bookstores tomorrow. @TheTweetOfGod

Update at 8:33 p.m. ET: Not surprisingly, the quake was also felt in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the Associated Press says.

Still no reports of any damage.

Update at 8:29 p.m. ET: The USGS has revised the quake's depth from 17 miles to 3 miles.

Update at 8:17 p.m. ET: The U.S. Geological Survey has again revised the magnitude, this time down to 4.0.

Update at 7:57 p.m. ET: Twitter users in Montpelier, Vt., reported "sustained shaking for 10 seconds," says the Burlington Free Press, published by USA TODAY's parent, Gannett.

The paper notes that Burlington and parts of Vermont were shaken last Wednesday by a magnitude-3.9 quake in Quebec.

Update at 7:40 p.m. ET: The USGS has revised the magnitude to 4.6 and the epicenter to 3 miles west of Hollis Center, Maine, which is west of Portland. It struck at 7:12 p.m. ET.

Besides Boston, the temblor was felt in the Augusta-Waterville, Maine, area and in Montpelier, Vt., according to local news reports.

Original post: A magnitude-4.5 earthquake struck southern Maine shortly after 7 p.m. ET and was felt in Boston.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake, about 17 miles deep, was centered near Lake Arrowhead.

No reports so far of any damage.

The USGS says the New England region has "felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones since Colonial times. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in the region every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly twice a year."