Earthquake rattles Gulf of Mexico south of Mobile

The star marks the location of an earthquake detected Sunday, May 6, 2018, in the Gulf of Mexico. (USGS map)

An earthquake stronger than those usually detected in Alabama occurred Sunday far offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was detected by the U.S. Geologic Survey about 200 miles south of Mobile. There was no tsunami threat from the earthquake, the National Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement Sunday moments after the quake was detected.

Alabama earthquakes typically have a magnitude between 1.5 and 2.5.

The earthquake at 11:47 a.m. Sunday and more than 6.2 miles below the earth's surface, the USGS said.

The closest town to the quake's epicenter 81.7 miles away in South Pass, La. The epicenter 231 miles southeast of Baton Rouge.

The quake was about 164 miles south southeast of Dauphin Island and about 194 miles south southeast of Mobile.

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