Seismic seconds: The challenges of precisely dating and timing earthquakes in New England in the past four centuries

New England has the longest continuous earthquake record in the United States.Earthquake catalogs document the exact time that an earthquake struck.When consulting historical sources, however, it becomes clear that there is much more ambiguity concerning these documented times. Earthquakes in New EnglandEarthquakes that took place during historical times are often recorded in historical documents.Where earthquakes are infrequent, they are perceived as something extraordinary and are remarked upon as such in diaries, letters, newspapers, and sermons.A list of regions in the United States that evoke associations with earthquakes include California, Alaska and Washington.New England does not necessarily spring to mind.However, despite being located on a tectonic plate, some distance away from the active continental margins, earthquakes do occur there.These seismic events are called intraplate earthquakes.