Wednesday morning earthquake centered in Schoharie County Friday, February 29, 2008 By R. J. Kelly (Contact) Gazette Reporter
HOWES CAVE — The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed today that the shaking some northern Schoharie County residents felt just before 3 a.m. Wednesday was a minor earthquake. Cobleskill Village Clerk Sheila Hay-Gillespie was asleep in her more-than-100-year-old house on Shady Tree Lane near Bramanville when the quake hit. "The dog woke us up. He was barking and carrying on," she said. "Shortly after that, the house rumbled. You could hear a rumbling noise, and the whole house was shaking." It lasted about 20 seconds, Hay-Gillespie said, but the dog, a bassett hound, stayed awake and nervous for another half-hour. "He kept bugging us, she said. The 2:56 a.m. quake measured magnitude 2.7, according to the Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network, as reported on the U.S. Geological Survey Web site. That is classified as a "weak" earthquake. No damage was reported, although Hay-Gillespie said an acquaintance in Central Bridge reported chandeliers swaying and dishes falling off shelves. According to the USGS, the quake was centered about one mile east of Howes Cave, in the middle of an area four miles from Schoharie, six miles from Cobleskill and seven miles from Esperance. The last reported quake to shake the region was a 3.1 magnitude temblor centered 15 miles southwest of Rotterdam on July 23, according to USGS data. The most recent quake in the state was reported Dec. 23, was measured at 3.8 magnitude and was centered 136 miles northwest of Ogdensburg.
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