Monday morning at around ten am an earthquake struck Hingham and the other surrounding towns in the South Shore. The center of the Earthquake was ten miles off the Atlantic coast of a town called York in Maine and eight miles underground.

The Earthquake was a magnitude 3.8, which is a moderate sized earthquake. Furthermore, it is the largest the South Shore has experienced since 2020, where there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake, which caused significantly more damage compared to the most recent one. Also, experts described that this was unusual, but also not unheard of along the Atlantic coast.

Next, many people throughout Cohasset, Hingham, Norwell, and other neighboring towns reported they felt a small rattle, along with minor damage to houses and a couple trees falling, but there was no severe damage found in the area.

Furthermore, many students in Hingham High School had different feelings about the earthquake, as some people say they felt it, while others say they did not. One student, Will Shelsy, described that, “During class everything around me started shaking, and it felt like my desk was beginning to slide. I did not find out it was an earthquake causing this until later that night.”

On the other hand, many students around the school were unsure if an earthquake even happened, or if it was just made up. Will Pollenz illustrated, “I did not feel anything during the earthquake, and I would not have even known it happened if my dad did not say something about it. I honestly thought it was fake for a second.”

Overall, although many people did not feel the earthquake it still could have been dangerous for those who were affected more, and it is important to be thankful that Hingham was not affected more severely by the earthquake, even though it was a moderate sized earthquake. It also shows that Massachusetts is still at risk of earthquakes, and people should have a plan and be prepared in case something more destructive happens, as there is still possibility for larger disasters.