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Earthquake Reported In Garrison Area

This story has been updated.

The exact location of the 2.5 magnitude earthquake reported Saturday morning, marked in red.

The exact location of the 2.5 magnitude earthquake reported Saturday morning, marked in red.

Photo Credit: Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network

PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- A minor earthquake near the southwestern border of Putnam County that occurred Saturday morning was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Saturday afternoon.

The 2.5 magnitude quake occurred in the Garrison area, according to the USGS, at 10:46 a.m. 3.1 miles beneath the earth's surface. The quake was reported Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

The exact location of the quake was 13 miles southeast of Newburgh and 23 miles northwest of White Plains, according to the Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network.

Robert Pidgeon, a resident of Cortlandt Manor, said he heard a loud but short sound "that wasn't normal" shortly before 11 a.m.

"The trees made an odd sound like something was shaking them," Pidgeon said. "I actually thought it was a bunch of deer running in the woods. Now I know differently. I never thought it was an earthquake till I read about it (in a Daily Voice breaking news update.)"

Earthquakes of 2.5 magnitude or less are rarely felt, but can be recorded by a seismograph. Approximately 900,000 earthquakes of 2.5 magnitude or less occur each year.

The last earthquake felt by many Putnam residents occurred on Aug. 22, 2011 when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake (considered moderate on the magnitude scale) centered 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va., sent tremors as far north as the Hudson Valley.

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