Magnitude 3.7 Earthquake Confirmed Off Florida’s Coast

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed a rare occurrence off Florida’s east coast.

According to the agency, a magnitude 3.7 earthquake occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday in waters off Daytona Beach Shores. No reports of damage have been associated with the quake.

The occurrence is a rarity in Florida, but earthquakes aren’t entirely unheard of in the Sunshine State.

“As you probably know, Florida is not known for its seismic activity, but it has had a few significant earthquakes throughout recorded history,” Alex Demas of the USGS told Patch.

Two of those quakes originated in Cuba in January 1880, according to the USGS website. The quakes “sent severe shock waves through the town of Key West,” the website said. “The tremors occurred at 11 p.m. on January 22 and 4 a.m. on the 23rd. At Buelta Abajo and San Christobal, Cuba, many buildings were thrown down and some people were killed.”

A possible quake was also reported in Tampa in December 1940, the agency noted. Whether that “quake” was caused by blasting in the area or seismic activity remains a mystery.

Damas also pointed to a story related to a 1952 earthquake in Quincy. That quake reportedly shook the ground enough that it “interfered with writing a traffic ticket,” he said.

“Florida occasionally has earthquakes, but they rarely cause damage other than shaking windows,” Damas said.

In the grand scheme of things, a magnitude 3.7 is rather small. This is especially when compared to some of the ground shakers that have hit California in the past. An April 1906 quake in San Francisco was measured at a magnitude 7.9. That quake was responsible for killing about 3,000 people and leaving $524 million in property damage behind, according to the California Department of Conservation. More recently, a February 1971 magnitude 6.6 quake killed 65 in San Fernando.

To read more about Florida’s seismic past, visit the USGS online. Floridians who felt Saturday’s quake are being asked to report their experience on the USGS website. To do so, visit the agency’s page dedicated to the Daytona Beach Shores quake.

Map courtesy of the USGS