3.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Published 3:18 pm Tuesday, June 6, 2023
On Sunday, June 4, a 3.3-magnitude earthquake occurred about 130 miles southeast of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The rare seafloor earthquake occurred shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday night and occurred in an area with no know fault lines or tectonic boundaries, according to a report from the Biloxi Sun Herald. USGS data shows it was centered just over 3 miles below the seafloor.
A geologist with USGS said the quake in that area is rare, but that there have been quakes near that area in the past.
Venice, Louisiana, is the closest town to where the quake occurred. No reports of feeling the quake have been reported.
At 3.3 magnitude, it likely would not have caused fracturing of the seafloor and was not strong enough to generate tsunami activity, experts say.
More than 1,000 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, a much larger earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 36 others, authorities said. The quake struck before dawn near the southwestern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
OTHER EARTHQUAKES IN OR NEAR MISSISSIPPI
On Dec. 16, 1931, Mississippi the strongest earthquake recorded in the state struck in the Batesville-Charleston area of northern Mississippi. The estimated 4.7 magnitude earthquake was felt across four states.
The second strongest recorded in the state occurred on June 4, 1967. The 3.8 magnitude quake struck northeast of Greenville.
The third-strongest earthquake recorded in Mississippi occurred on Feb. 1, 1955. The quake was felt up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
On May 6, 2018, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake happened less than 200 miles south of the Mississippi Coast.
On Sept. 9, 1975, a 2.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded 6 miles from Saucier on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.