Earthquake Wakes Northeast to Mild Damage

Author: Peter Simon

Middlebury residents were woken early Saturday morning by an earthquake centered about 15 miles southwest of Plattsburgh, N.Y. The earthquake sent tremors throughout the East Coast but did not cause any significant damage to the Middlebury College campus.

According to the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), the earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale and was felt from Ohio to Maine and from Quebec to Maryland. An earthquake that measures 5 on the scale is considered moderate.

The earthquake occurred at 6:50 a.m. on Saturday morning. According to Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah, the only damage reported at the College was some fallen shelving at The College Store. Several students and town residents called in over the course of the morning to seek confirmation that an earthquake had occurred.

Despite being roughly 60 miles from the epicenter, most Middlebury students were able to feel the tremors that shook buildings for about 15 seconds.

"I woke up and felt my bed shaking and a loud rumbling noise. I thought there was construction going on," said Paul Pavelock '04.

The earthquake caused more damage near Plattsburgh, where a section of Route 9 North collapsed and buildings suffered cracked foundations and walls. According to reports by The Associated Press, several area churches were also damaged.

"It was an interesting day," said Keith Tyo, director of communications at Plattsburgh State University. "Students were either scared or excited about it. Most of them didn't know what had happened at first."

According to Tyo, there was only mild damage to the University, including some cracked windows and chimneys. No injuries have been reported in the area.

The last earthquake of similar magnitude to affect the region occurred in 1983 near Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. The 1983 quake measured 5.1 on the Richter scale.

"This earthquake may have been the perfect size," said Professor of Geology David West. "It was big enough so that people could feel it, but not big enough to cause serious damage or injury."

Earthquakes in northern New York State, northern Vermont and southern Quebec are not uncommon, although they are rarely more intense than Saturday's "moderate" quake, according to West. He said Saturday's earthquake was relatively large for the area.

The area has several fault lines that become active from time to time, usually producing small earthquakes that cause little or no damage. Because the Northeast does not actually lie on the edge of a plate, as the West Coast of the United States does, it is extremely rare to see major earthquakes in the Northeast.

This weekend's tremor should not be taken as a sign of things to come, said West, but only as a reminder that earthquakes can occur in this region. "The probability of future earthquakes in this area remains the same," said West. "Another fault in the area could become active tomorrow, or in 30 years." West noted that it was "impossible" to accurately predict earthquakes.

Earthquakes occur when rocks about five kilometers deep in the earth snap in response to stress placed on them. This causes a release of seismic energy waves that causes the ground to shake in the area surrounding the location of the break, known as the epicenter.

According to West, if the earthquake had occurred within a few miles of Middlebury, there could have been some minor structural damage.

"We would have had some cracked foundations and chimneys, and some items in people's rooms may have broken," said West.

Shortly after the quake occurred, West sent an e-mail to the Department of Public Safety that was promptly forwarded to the community, confirming that an earthquake had occurred and providing preliminary details about the tremor. The Geology Department has since constructed a Web site with links to information sources about the earthquake.