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Small Earthquake Felt In Parts Of Connecticut

GROTON, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The U.S. Geological Survey said it recorded a small earthquake in southeast Connecticut last Friday, explaining loud booms reported by several residents.

The 2.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded Friday morning and centered about 2 miles east of Conning Towers-Nautilus Park in Groton.

The noises produced by the earthquakes prompted numerous calls to police and fire departments, which searched the area looking for signs of an explosion.

Justin Starr, a research assistant at the Weston Observatory at Boston College, told The Day of New London that the quakes were small and close to the surface. The release of seismic energy causes the earth's surface to act like a speaker and emit a sound like an explosion.

Starr said similar quakes jostled Massachusetts and New Hampshire in October and are not uncommon.

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