ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An small earthquake hit the western Florida panhandle, an event that's rare for the state.
- Earthquake struck near the Florida-Alabama border
- Quakes are rare in Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 2.6 earthquake happened at the Florida-Alabama border just before midnight Wednesday, just east of Century, Florida. That's in the extreme northwest corner of the state.
A magnitude 2.6 quake should not cause any damage, according to USGS.
However, earthquakes are extremely rare for Florida. The last earthquake in Florida was in 2006, off the Gulf of Mexico. It was a magnitude 5.9.
In fact, the last 5 earthquakes all took place in the Gulf of Mexico between 1992 and 2006.
This is because Florida is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries, or major fault zones.
Viewers may remember a rumbling off the Volusia County coast in 2016 that was initially considered to be an earthquake, but it turns out it was actually an experimental explosion caused by the U.S. Navy.