NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — An earthquake struck along the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico late Sunday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The magnitude 3.3 earthquake occurred at around 11:15 p.m. Sunday about 96 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. There are no tectonic plate boundaries or fault lines in the area.
The earthquake struck about 3.1 miles below the sea floor. It was not powerful enough to pose a tsunami threat to the Gulf Coast.
Earthquakes in the north-central Gulf of Mexico are unusual, but not unheard of. Sunday night’s event is the eighth offshore earthquake detected by the USGS in the region since 2000.
Minor shaking can normally be felt with earthquakes that are magnitude 3.0 or higher. However, Sunday’s earthquake was likely too far away from land to be felt. No residents reported feeling the earthquake to the USGS.
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