SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A rare minor earthquake was reported near the border of Florida and Alabama Thursday morning, the United States Geological Survey confirmed.
The USGS initially said the earthquake was magnitude 4.0 and happened near Mount Carmel, Florida in Santa Rosa County. The agency later updated to say the quake was actually 3.8 magnitude and happened near Pollard, Alabama.
Mount Carmel and Pollard are less than 20 miles apart. Mount Carmel is just south of Alabama in the Florida Panhandle while Pollard sits just north of the state line in Alabama.
The earthquake happened just after 11 a.m. ET, the USGS report says.
According to Michigan Tech, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake is classified as a “minor” quake that is “often felt, but only causes minor damage.”
More than 70 people reported to the USGS that they felt the quake, according to the agency’s website. Some were as far south as Pensacola.
Earthquakes are rare in Florida because there no major fault lines throughout the state.
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