Rare earthquake rattles Mississippi at 2.3 magnitude, officials say
A 2.3-magnitude earthquake rattled northern Mississippi on Wednesday evening, officials say.
The 8-mile deep earthquake hit just east of Booneville, near the Tennessee state line, at about 6:45 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
More than a dozen people reported feeling the quake to the USGS, as far away as about 234 miles in Kentucky.
Earthquakes are uncommon in Mississippi, according to the USGS, and there have only been four in the history of the state that have had an intensity of V or higher.
Intensity of an earthquake refers to the “measure of shaking” at a location, the USGS says, and a V is associated with moderate shaking and very light damage.
The magnitude of a quake measures the amount of energy it releases, according to USGS.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or less are “usually not felt” but can still be recorded, according to Michigan Tech. There are about 900,000 recorded each year.
