Small quake rattles Schoodic Peninsula

About a year after several small earthquakes rattled Mount Desert Island, more seismic activity was felt recently in another part of Hancock County.

According to the Weston Observatory at Boston College, a 1.6-magnitude earthquake in the area of Gouldsboro and Sullivan was reported late Sunday night.

The minor temblor occurred at 9:06 p.m. in the waters of Flanders Bay, and while many Down East felt the ground shaking, no damage was reported.

Although coastal Maine is not known historically for seismic activity, Sunday’s quake was the latest in a series felt throughout Hancock County that started last fall.

The largest occurred on Oct. 3, 2006, when a 4.3-magnitude shock near Bar Harbor reverberated throughout much of eastern Maine.

As many as 30 small earthquakes were reported in late 2006, but so far in 2007, only two have been reported, according to the Weston Observatory. Like Sunday’s, both were minor.