CENTER SANDWICH – An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.9 rattled towns in the Lakes Region at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The USGS said the epicenter was just south of Center Sandwich. Surrounding towns felt the earthquake, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Thomas Rollison was at a construction site in Center Harbor when he said he heard a big boom followed by small rattle.

“I knew it was an earthquake immediately,” Rollison said.

New Hampshire is no stranger to earthquakes, but they are usually not strong enough to cause major damage.

The first earthquake was in 1638 which registered a magnitude of about 6.5 centered in New Hampshire between Concord and just west of Laconia, according to the Northeast States Emergency Consortium.

New Hampshire has experienced 320 earthquakes since with damaging quakes only the one in 1638 and another 1940, the consortium reported.

More information about the history of New Hampshire earthquakes here: https://nesec.org/new-hampshire-earthquakes/

According to Michigan Tech, earthquake magnitude 2.5 or less is usually not felt but can be recorded by seismograph. 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt but only cause minor damage. 5.5 to 6.0 can cause slight damage to buildings and other structures and 6.1 to 6.9 may cause a lot of damage in very populated areas.