A “swarm” of earthquakes shook the residents of Peabody. So the city summoned an expert

It’s not unique to Peabody, it has occurred in other parts of New England,” said Ebel, who is the author of The New England Earthquakes: The Surprising History of Seismic Activity in the Northeast.

Ebel said seismic devices have detected three earthquakes that occurred in Peabody over the past month: a 1.4-magnitude quake on July 25, a 1.2-magnitude quake on August 4, and a 1.3-magnitude quake on August 18.

The earthquakes at Peabody were of low intensity. A 4-magnitude earthquake would cause an unstable knickknack to fall off a shelf, and a 5-magnitude earthquake would cause walls to crack, he said.

When the earthquakes occurred, residents described hearing a loud bang.

“It’s a very fast explosion, a blast,” Ebel said. “If it’s winter time, you might think you’ve heard the furnace exploding in the basement. In the summer, people often compare it to an explosion. It’s just a boom, then it disappears, but it’s noticeable to people near the epicenter.”

Ebel said earthquakes at Peabody appear to occur within a mile or less of the Earth’s surface.

Peabody Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. said he first learned of reports of loud explosions and explosions heard by residents last February.

“This is very real,” Bettencourt said at the meeting on Wednesday. “The earthquakes that happen, what’s happening in Peabody, is very real and we need to address it and find out what’s going on here.”

At the meeting, Ebel gave a presentation and answered questions from the concerned residents.

He also talked about what could happen in the future.

“The earthquake swarms I’ve studied typically last from weeks to months,” Ebel said. “I don’t know when this swarm started. People are reporting events that happened in February.”

It’s unclear why so many earthquakes have occurred in Peabody recently. “Earthquakes can happen pretty much anywhere,” he said.

Ebel said there would be no more events, or more small earthquakes could occur. Nor can he rule out the possibility of a larger earthquake. He estimated that there was a 5 percent chance of a larger (but not harmful) earthquake, and less than a 1 percent chance of a larger, devastating (5 to 6 magnitude earthquake).

“We don’t really know what the odds are that the epicenter of that earthquake is here,” he said. “It’s definitely much less than 1 per cent. There is a chance, but the chances are slim.”

If a strong earthquake occurs, Ebel said, it is best for people to stay inside and hide under a heavy piece of furniture, such as a table or desk.

He said: “People are injured and killed in earthquakes when things fall on them.”

Ebel said the chances of a devastating earthquake here are very low.

“I can’t rule out a larger earthquake, but the probability is very low,” he said.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.

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