Earthquake Rattles Parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island

A minor earthquake rumbled through parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.6, the Geological Survey said, though it had initially been measured above 4.0.

The earthquake, which happened around 9:10 a.m., had its epicenter at Buzzards Bay, Mass., which is about 50 miles east of Providence, R.I.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Preliminary reports to the Geological Survey suggested it was felt as far away as the Long Island Sound, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the agency.

“We wouldn’t expect there to be significant damage from this earthquake,” Mr. Caruso said. “Earthquakes in this area are commonly felt very far away because the rocks in this area are very contiguous, very old, so they transmit the energy very well from earthquakes.”

There have been 26 earthquakes in Southern New England since 1963, Mr. Caruso said, but this was one of the largest.

Janice Warr, who lives in East Freetown, Mass., said she felt the earth shaking for about 20 seconds. The noise reminded her of the sound of an overfilled washing machine.

“The noise got louder and the whole house — windows, pictures on walls were actually shaking,” she said.

Dylan Gomes, of Dartmouth, Mass., said he was awakened by what sounded like a large plane flying outside his window. Then his house began to shake. After about 10 seconds, it stopped, he said.

Mr. Gomes and his neighbors gathered in the street to determine what had happened. Mr. Gomes’s father, who lives with him, thought their boiler was exploding. His brother, who lives about a mile away, initially thought a large truck had crashed into his house.

Emily Ross, of Mattapoisett, Mass., said she had never experienced an earthquake in the state.

“My neighbors were walking on the beach and saw the bay ripple,” she said. “And another friend, whose husband works at a hospital in New Bedford, said it felt like a train hit it. So, all in all, unnerving but glad that there seems to be no damage.”