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A 1.7-magnitude earthquake rattles Sinking Spring [Map]

On Sunday afternoon the earth shook under Sinking Spring and the surrounding area, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The tremor, a 1.7-magnitude quake, was reported at 1:40 p.m. and was about 3 miles deep, according to the USGS.

No extensive damage was reported, but Sunday marked the latest in a long line of small earthquakes reported in Berks County dating to at least 1972. In 2018, two small quakes shook Wyomissing early in the morning of Sept. 12, each as large as the one that struck Sinking Spring on Sunday: 1.7 and 1.9.

In 2018, Dr. Edward Simpson, a professor of geology at Kutztown University and chairman of the school’s physical science department, told the Reading Eagle that this area has gone through four mountain-building phases dating back to the Triassic Period. All that geological tumult has left the rock buried beneath Berks filled with tons of small fault lines.

About earthquake magnitudes

High magnitude equals high intensity.

Magnitude and intensity measure different characteristics of earthquakes. Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, while intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.

Magnitude is determined from measurements on seismographs. Intensity is determined from effects on people, human structures and the natural environment.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quakes in Berks County — all with magnitudes below 5.0 — have been limited to the first five levels on the 13-level Mercalli intensity scale.

Mercalli intensity scale

I. Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions.

II. Felt only by a few people at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings.

III. Felt quite noticeably by people indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibrations similar to the passing of a truck. Duration estimated.

IV. Felt indoors by many, outdoors by few during the day. At night, some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed; walls make cracking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing motor cars rocked noticeably.

V. Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows broken. Unstable objects overturned. Pendulum clocks may stop.

VI. Felt by all, many frightened. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of fallen plaster. Damage slight.

VII. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well-built ordinary structures; considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken.

VIII. Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. Damage great in poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned.

IX. Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.

X. Some well-built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame structures destroyed with foundations. Rails bent.

XI. Few, if any (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Rails bent greatly.

XII. Damage total. Lines of sight and level are distorted. Objects thrown into the air.


Source: Berkshire mont

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