Tuesday, October 16, 2012

An earthquake that hit southern Maine has rattled nearby New England states as far as Connecticut, including the Boston area.

The U.S. Geological Survey at first estimated the Tuesday evening quake as a 4.6 magnitude, but later downgraded that to 4.0. It hit at about 7:12 p.m. The epicenter, about 3 miles west of Hollis Center, Maine, is about 3 miles deep. That's about 20 miles west of Portland.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency had no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

In Waterboro near the epicenter, about 20 customers and staff at Waterboro House of Pizza ran outside when they heard a loud bang and the building shook.

The Seabrook Station nuclear plant, about 60 miles away in New Hampshire, declared an unusual event, but said it wasn't affected. The plant has been offline for refueling.