Earthquake shakes the capital

Shock ensued in Concord on September 25th, as an earthquake shook the area.  Documented as having a 3.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, this startling event confused and surprised New Hampshire residents if only for a few seconds.  With the quake occurring at 11:28 PM, many New Hampshire citizens were awakened by the shake, perhaps uncertain whether or not the ten-second tremor had truly taken place.  Though there have been earthquakes in New Hampshire in recent years, these natural events are not typical of the state and caused many people were quick to jump to alternate conclusions as to what caused the quake.  Additionally, few New Hampshire residents were familiar with a magnitude as high as 3.1.

        While the earthquake was centered just northwest of Concord, there were many reports of bewilderment from all over the state coupled with the brief rumble.  Various students from Plymouth described feeling an earthquake-like sensation on Saturday night.  One student from Concord noted that his father called him immediately after the stir in order to confirm that it was actually an earthquake.  He continued to recall that his father had just attempted to repair his house's plumbing and was initially horrified that the booming quake was a result of the plumbing systems exploding in the basement.  An additional experience came from outside of Concord in Hopkinton, where local orchard worker Sam Hill recounted his chaotic escapade with the tremor.  "I was just going outside to look at a broken headlight on my truck," Sam remembers, "And all of a sudden I heard a loud noise and felt a shake.  I was scared to death that I bumped something in the truck that would have sent it down my driveway; I was yelling at myself: ‘I told you not to touch it!'  It's ridiculous that it was my first thought, but I got lost in the confusion of the moment."

        Though the confusion of the moment struck many during the quake, many more simply slept through the event or did not notice it all together.  Plymouth's own Professor Norman Shippee noted that he was disappointed to have missed the quake, but recollected his vivid experience with another New Hampshire quake while on Mt. Washington in 2007.  He went on to mention that earthquakes in New Hampshire, while small scale, are not as absurd as many make them out to be.

        Overall, while the earthquake did not cause any distinct or known damage, it proved to New Hampshire residents that the state could be just as unpredictable as ever.