A town in northwestern Louisiana experienced a historic earthquake on Thursday, March 5.
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PEOPLE reports that the seismic event measured 4.9 on the Richter scale. The earthquake shook up residents of Coushatta, a small town 50 miles from Shreveport, at 5:30 a.m.
The early morning quake startled residents, moving furniture, rattling pipes, and causing alarm throughout the town.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially recorded it as 4.4 but later upgraded the measurement.
This Earthquake Was Historic
The earthquake's epicenter lay just north of Coushatta at a "shallow" depth of 3.1 miles. Earthquakes of this magnitude rarely occur, making this the state's second-largest. The largest struck Grand Isle on Feb. 9, 2006. In 1978, the Gulf experienced a 4.9-magnitude quake.
According to the Michigan Technological Institute, about half a million earthquakes between 2.5 and 5.4 in magnitude occur every year. They are "often felt, but only cause minor damage."
It's uncommon for seismic events like this to occur east of the Rocky Mountains, but they do happen, according to the USGS. However, when they do strike, they are felt more widely than quakes of similar magnitudes in the West.
The USGS asked residents in the region to report if they had felt the earthquake. By mid-morning, people from eastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas sent in reports.
So far, no one has reported structural damage from the quake. State Senator Thomas Pressly, who lives in nearby Shreveport, said the event woke him up.
"A 4.4 earthquake isn't insignificant," Pressly told USA Today. His wife slept through it because she is from California, where earthquakes are more common, he joked.
This Isn't the First Earthquake In Coushatta
Coushatta, with fewer than 2,000 residents, experienced a smaller seismic event last week. That earthquake, smaller in scale, measured 2.6 on the Richter scale.
Since December, there have been eight earthquakes in northwestern Louisiana. They have ranged from 2.6 to 3.1 in magnitude.
