Maine Quake Shows Future Trends -- Leet

Earth tremors that shook buildings in southern and central Maine yesterday evening raised again the question whether the New England area will become seismicly active within the next 50 years, L. Don Leet, professor of Geology, said last night.

New England had its last major quake in 1755, after which the ground stayed pretty quiet until about 1920. Since then, the earth's crust in this area has shown a tendency to come to life, Leet said, with an average of five or six minor quakes a year.

Center Near Augusta

Centered around Augusta and Portland, about 165 miles from Boston, yesterday's tremors came at 9.33.46 p.m., according to the University's Harvard, Massachusetts, seismograph, and lasted two minutes. No serious damage was reported.

Recurrance of frequent minor earthquakes in New England in the last 30 years after a 150 year lapse leads geologists to believe that local tremors will steadily increase both in frequency and in force, Leet said.

May Be In 30 Years

Geologists are now studying the region to attempt to predict when this increase should be expected. Some now think it will come within the next 30 to 50 years, Leet said.

Boston College's seismograph at Weston reported a "fairly strong" earthquake at 9:34 p.m., lasting seven minutes, and centered 155 miles north of Boston. It is not yet known why the Harvard and Weston reports differ on the duration, location, and degree.