Gulf of Mexico Quake Shocks South

A Gulf of Mexico quake that measured 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale hit in the in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.  The quake sent shockwaves from Louisiana to Florida on Sept. 10, but was not powerful enough to trigger a tsunami.

The epicenter centered about 260 miles southwest of Tampa

The quake also did not strike near oil and gas producing areas. That said, some disruption in petroleum supplies should be expected as operators shut down some facilities in order to ensure no significant damage occurred.

***

AP reports that the USGS received more than 2,800 reports from people who felt the late morning quake. Scientists said it was the largest and most widely felt of more than a dozen earthquakes recorded in the region in three decades.

"This is a fairly unique event," said Don Blakeman, a National Earthquake Information Center analyst.

***

According to wire service reports, the most prevalent vibration, which lasted for about 20 seconds, was felt on the gulf coast of Florida and in southern Georgia, Blakeman said. But residents in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana also called in reports.

"It rattled our trailer pretty good," said Dan Hawks, who lives near Ocala in the small central Florida community of Pedro. "The house started shaking. We could actually see it moving. We looked at each [other] stupidly and said, `What's the deal?'

***

The earthquake likely will not have any effect on oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Ray Connolly, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute.

--Jim Roberts writes from Manhattan