New swarm of quakes rattles Alabama-Florida line

“Shake, Rattle and Roll” may become the new anthem of the Florida-Alabama border area north of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as swarms of earthquakes continue to rumble through the area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Two quakes were recorded in the area on Thursday, the USGS says – a 2.5 magnitude temblor that was centered about 8 kilometers north of Fomaton, Alabama, at about 11:33 a.m., and a 2.8 that was centered 9 kilometers north-northeast of Flomaton just after 3 p.m.

Then on Friday a 2.6 quake occurred about 13 kilometers northwest of Flomaton.

Minor quakes have been detected in the area this year since early March, when a 2.6 shaker was detected near Jay. A total of eight quakes have been recorded since March 6.

Earthquakes have been occurring in the region for decades, according to Earthquake Tracker. The strongest was a 4.8 magnitude quake that hit near Flomaton on 1997.

The Richter scale is a way expressing the magnitude of earthquakes. The most destructive earthquakes range in strength from 5.5 to 8.9. Earthquakes in the range of the Jay swarm can cause hanging objects to swing, but that’s about it.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New swarm of quakes rattles Alabama-Florida line