Minor Earthquake Strikes Southeastern Mass.

A minor earthquake struck southeastern Massachusetts Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

John Ebel, a senior research scientist at Boston College's Weston Observatory, said the 1.9 magnitude earthquake struck seven miles north-northwest of New Bedford just before 11 a.m. Thursday.

Ebel, a professor of geophysics at BC, said residents of the area probably heard a boom and a few seconds of shaking.

He said earthquakes in the region are "not unusual."

"We get about half a dozen earthquakes a year felt somewhere in the New England region," Ebel told WBUR. "This is not an everyday occurrence, obviously, but not an uncommon occurrence in New England."

As for a possible follow-up temblor, he said that is unpredictable.

With additional reporting by the WBUR Newsroom