Residents of the northeastern United States and parts of southern Canada were rocked early Saturday by an earthquake that was felt as far south as Baltimore, Maryland, and as far west as Cleveland, Ohio.
The magnitude-5.1 temblor occurred at 6:50 am (1050 GMT) and was centered about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Plattsburgh, New York, near the Canadian border, the US Geological Survey said.
No injuries were reported, but the quake damaged a bridge, some roads and a chimney in northern New York state. At least one road was closed by quake damage, but state officials said the damage already was under repair, and highway crews were out inspecting other roads and bridges in the area.
New York Governor George Pataki declared a state of emergency in two counties around the quake's epicenter and dispatched state police troopers to aid local police.
The last major earthquake in the region occurred November 25, 1988, when a magnitude-6.2 temblor rattled the region of Saguenay, Canada, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Montrea.
(China Daily April 22, 2002)
