Latest news with #MaineGeologicalSurvey
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Another earthquake recorded in Maine
Feb. 18—Another earthquake was recorded in Maine, but this one was more than 250 miles from the quake that rocked southern Maine last month. The 2.5 magnitude earthquake at 8:56 p.m. Sunday was centered 21 miles northwest of Millinocket. Its recorded depth was about 6.6 miles. The U.S. Geological Survey says four people reported feeling the earthquake. The impact was much less significant than the 3.8 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 27 that was felt as far north as Bangor and south as New York City. That quake, centered 6 miles southeast of York Harbor, generated widespread reports from people who thought the audible boom and shaking were from an explosion or crash. More than 42,000 people submitted reports about their experience to the geological survey. That earthquake was followed by a couple aftershocks with magnitudes around 2.0. While Maine doesn't typically have strong earthquakes, it is not uncommon for microquakes with a magnitude of less than 2.0 to occur. Most earthquakes in Maine are too small to be felt because the state is a quiet tectonic area, State Geologist Ryan Gordon, who runs the Maine Geological Survey, said last month. The largest earthquake recorded in Maine was a magnitude 5.7 near the Canadian border in 1904. In 1929, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake off Newfoundland caused a tsunami and a few deaths, Hough said. The last earthquake centered in Maine with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater was in October 2012. That magnitude 4.7 earthquake, with an epicenter in York County, was felt as far away as Connecticut and prompted concerned residents to overwhelm local 911 centers. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What are frost quakes?
The sudden, deep freeze of soil can produce a phenomenon known as cryoseisms, or what are often called frost quakes, but according to experts, there is no need to worry about these events. According to the Maine Geological Survey, cryoseisms are triggered when the top layer of moist soil quickly freezes, typically between midnight and dawn, especially when there is little snow cover on the ground. The vibrations from the ground are strong enough to startle residents but are rarely, if ever, significant enough to cause damage. "There have been a few cases reported in the northeastern U.S. where people have been able to find a small crack in the ground where the cryoseism occurred. In these particular cases, it appears that the cracks are caused by the ground having contracted rapidly due to the sudden cold, and split apart - a literal "cold snap"! Unfortunately, that sort of evidence can be difficult to find because the cracks are quite small, they might be some distance away from where it was felt, and are liable to be covered by snow and healed by the spring thaw before anybody would notice them," the organization stated. Polar Vortex: What Is It? During any given year, there are only sporadic reports of the phenomenon occurring, with temperature profiles dictating how often the frost quakes happen. Communities in Canada, Northern Europe, Russia and the northern U.S. typically report the most frost quake activity, which tends to occur during significant cold snaps in the early weeks of winter. Due to warming winters, the activity has become even more unpredictable and has even been reported during the late cold season. In 2023, the National Weather Service office in Caribou, Maine received widespread reports of the phenomenon occurring and posted to social media about the occurrence. "We are getting reports of hearing/feeling 'Quakes' across the area. These are frost quakes also called cryoseisms. Just like earthquakes, generate tremors, thundering sensations. These are caused by sudden cracks in frozen soil or underground water when it's very cold," meteorologists at the NWS stated. When Does Winter Really Start? It Depends On Who You Ask A recent study conducted in Finland examined the events by installing high-resolution seismic tools to detect the ground's movements. Researchers identified two types of seismic events: frost quakes and frost tremors, both of which were linked to rapid temperature drops and were mostly associated with ice fracturing. The findings suggested that frost quakes do emit enough pressure to damage infrastructure such as roads and buildings, but without widespread reporting, it is difficult to determine how significant the events are. Occasionally, the phenomenon is detected by seismographs, but beyond that, cryoseisms differ significantly from article source: What are frost quakes?
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Another, weaker, earthquake shakes same area off coast of Maine
Jan. 29—Maine experienced another earthquake Wednesday morning, but this one was much weaker than the one that rattled the region Monday. The 2.0 magnitude earthquake happened at 3:15 a.m. about 5.5 miles off the coast of York Harbor, in the same area as the epicenter of the 3.8 magnitude earthquake Monday. The U.S. Geological Survey did not immediately indicate if Wednesday's earthquake was an aftershock or a separate event. The earthquake on Monday — the fifth largest in Maine history — was felt as far north as Bangor and south as New York City. Many people who felt and heard the seismic activity mistook it for an explosion or crash. Dispatchers in York were overwhelmed with 911 calls from people startled by the unusual occurrence. It is not uncommon for Maine to have several earthquakes a year, usually small enough that they go unnoticed by most people. The largest earthquake recorded in Maine was a magnitude 5.7 near the Canadian border in 1904. Before Monday, the last earthquake centered in Maine with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater in recent history was in October 2012. That magnitude 4.7 earthquake, with an epicenter in York County, was felt as far away as Connecticut and also prompted concerned residents to overwhelm local 911 centers. The Maine Geological Survey reported a magnitude 2.1 quake on Dec. 9, about 4 miles north of Upton, but noted that there were no reports from people who felt it. On July 28, a magnitude 2.8 earthquake recorded in West Gardiner had scattered reports of weak shaking up to 30 miles away. On April 5, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered in northern New Jersey was felt widely across New England, including in southern Maine. Earthquakes are less common on the East Coast because the area does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates — slabs of Earth's crust that slide past each other and build pressure when they get stuck. Compared to the western United States, the hard, brittle rocks on the East Coast are better at spreading earthquake energy across long distances. The biggest quakes usually occur along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which extends through Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean. A plate boundary called the San Andreas Fault stretches through California. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Questions about how updated definition of ‘coastal wetland' would impact landowners, developers
Wells Beach, Maine. (Photo by AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star) The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is looking to update the definition of coastal wetlands in some areas of statute, but lawmakers have questions about how much it could affect landowners and developers along the state's 3,500 miles of shoreline. Rep. Vicki Doudera (D-Camden) presented a bill (LD 65) on behalf of the department to the Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee Monday with the proposed definition change in the Natural Resources Protection Act. Rather than reference the highest annual tide to define the area of a coastal wetland, the department is proposing a switch to the highest astronomical tide. As its name suggests, the highest annual tide is the highest predicted tide in a given calendar year. Whereas the highest astronomical tide predicts the highest tide for a 40 year period, but is updated every 20 years, explained Naomi Kirk-Lawlor, who represented the DEP. Because it is stable over a 20-year period, Kirk-Lawlor said the highest astronomical tide would be a 'more consistent delineator.' She pointed out that the Maine Geological Survey has an interactive graphic that the public can access online to see the highest astronomical tide line along the state's coast. Development projects along Maine's coast have been top of mind recently as many communities have had to rebuild after a series of severe storms and flooding events last winter. While Gov. Janet Mills earmarked more than $21 million in her supplemental budget last year to rebuild working waterfronts, there have also been multi-million dollar federal investments to make Maine's infrastructure more resilient to the effects of climate change, especially along the coast. As it reads, the bill only proposes the language change for the Natural Resources Protection Act, but Kirk-Lawlor said the department would like to see the same definition change in the Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act. This would align those statutes with the Land Use Planning Commission, which made this proposed change in 2018. Although the department told the committee in written testimony that this change would provide more consistency and stability for long-term planning, members of the committee raised questions about how the change would affect landowners and any pending coastal development projects. Kirk-Lawlor said the difference between the highest annual and the highest astronomical tides is normally no greater than six inches, so it would not be a significant change. Even with that, multiple committee members asked to see maps and other details outlining how the change may impact people living and working on the coast. Sen. Joseph Martin (R-Oxford) also questioned whether coastal landowners have been notified of this potential change and if it would cause any loss of property value. Denise Tepler (D-Sagadahoc), Senate co-chair of the committee, said she doesn't see potential property value loss from this bill, but asked for more information about what happened after the Land Use Planning Commission made this definition change and how it affected planning for development. Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono), who has a PhD in soil science and currently works for Eastern Maine Development Corporation assisting communities to be more resilient to climate change, said she believes the new definition would benefit businesses, homeowners and the department by creating more consistency — 'even with the concern that some people will be unnerved or caught feeling like they didn't have all the information they needed.' 'Instead of having to worry about whether the calendar year changes and the definition of where something is a wetland changes, it would be much more stable,' Osher said. 'For future planning and permit pulling, you would know what area of the land that you're looking at is a wetland.' Environmental organizations including Maine Audubon and Sierra Club Maine also testified in support of the bill, again emphasizing the stability an updated definition could provide, especially as more extreme weather patterns have shaped Maine's coast in recent years. Bill Ferdinand, an attorney with Eaton Peabody in Augusta who spoke on behalf of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine, said the organization had similar questions as some of the legislators regarding impact. While he didn't speak for or against the bill, Ferdinand suggested there could be alternatives that may have less of an impact such as using the average tide. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
