Odd 4.5-magnitude earthquake reported in deep ocean southeast of NC’s Outer Banks

A strong 4.5-magnitude earthquake occurred in deep waters off the North Carolina coast Wednesday, April 19, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It happened shortly after noon and witnesses in five East Coast states have reported feeling vibrations, including people in both Carolinas, Connecticut, Maryland and Florida. The farthest report came from nearly 1,100 miles away, in Jamaica.

The USGS estimates it was centered about 325 miles southeast of Buxton, on Hatteras Island.

That’s far off the continental shelf on the Hatteras Plain ... basically in the middle of nowhere.

It’s estimated the quake was centered about 6 miles deep, the USGS says.

Had it been on land, a 4.5 could have caused minor damage in structures, experts say.

Concerns were not raised about violent surf along the coast, due to the magnitude falling short of the 8.0 NOAA predicts is necessary “to generate a dangerous distant tsunami.”

The seafloor off the East Coast is known to be home to hydrothermal “lost cities” at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where “black smoker vents” can spew 700-degree water, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The vents are created when “cold seawater is heated by hot magma” at fissures between tectonic plates.

However, those vents and the corresponding faults are mysteriously nowhere near where the quake happened.

So what caused it?

McClatchy News reached out to the USGS for comment and has not heard back.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Odd 4.5-magnitude earthquake reported in deep ocean southeast of NC’s Outer Banks."