On Sunday morning, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake shook southern Massachusetts near New Bedford. The U.S. Reports from the Geological Survey.

At 9:10 a.m., a 9-mile deep quake hit the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast. According to the USGS, Eastern time. Dozens of individuals from as far away as Connecticut and New Hampshire reported that the agency had felt the tremor.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the earthquake's source, the U.S. Says the Geological Survey. It replaces the old scale of Richter.

According to Michigan Tech, quakes between the magnitude of 2.5 and 5.4 are often felt but rarely cause much damage.