A “rare” earthquake occurred off the coast of Florida on Wednesday evening just before a NASA rocket launch near the area.

The United States Geological Survey confirmed the earthquake on its website saying that it was a magnitude 4.0. It occurred roughly 100 miles from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and was 6 miles under the seafloor, according to the USGS.

Newsweek reached out to the USGS via email for comment.

“NEW: Rare earthquake near Florida occurred 100 miles east of Cape Canaveral last night at 10:48 PM. It was at a depth of 6 miles with light shaking felt in Brevard County. Did you feel it?” Matt Dewitt of WINK News wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 8, 2024. A few hours before the launch a 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit off the Florida coast.

GREGG NEWTON/AFP/Getty Images

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida also reported the earthquake on X and asked residents if they felt any of its effects.

“02/08 | Did anyone feel the Earthquake last night? A 4.0 magnitude Earthquake was reported well offshore of the Brevard County coast 101.4 mi E of Cape Canaveral at 10:48 PM Wednesday,” NWS Melbourne wrote.

On Thursday morning, NASA launched its PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 ship.

“We have liftoff,” NASA wrote on X at 1:35 a.m. EST on Thursday. “Our PACE spacecraft is on its way to study microscopic organisms in our ocean and particles in the air.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with additional information.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.