PONCE INLET, Fla. — A reported 3.9 magnitude earthquake off the Florida’s east coast Friday was actually an “experimental explosion,” the U.S. Navy confirmed.
A spokesperson with the Navy told Action News Jax that what was measured were a result of military “shock trials” and they are not unusual, nor is it unusual for them to register as earthquakes.
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Shock trials test a ship to see how it holds up in an undersea explosion. This is to test strength of the ship’s hull, making sure it can perform in battle.
The United States Geological Survey measured the seismic event roughly 100 miles off the coast of Ponce Inlet.
Action News Jax has reached out to the Coast Guard for more information.
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BREAKING UPDATE: NS Mayport spokesman @AustinBill13 tells @ActionNewsJax it was the result of a Navy Shock Trial off Daytona Beach. Says it’s not usual for a shock trial to register as an earthquake & that it happened before in 2016. Interesting stuff. Let us know if you felt it! https://t.co/J0XY8iXrzS
— Tenikka Smith Hughes (@TenikkaANjax) June 18, 2021
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