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‘Experimental explosion’ prompts earthquake off Florida’s coast

Navy was conducting testing

A massive military explosion off Florida’s coast triggered a 3.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday.

The Navy was testing its new aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford in a “shock trial,” about 100 miles off the coast of Ponce Inlet, Florida. The explosion helps to test a ship’s ability to withstand nearby explosions.

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“The first-in-class aircraft carrier was designed using advanced computer modeling methods, testing, and analysis to ensure the ship is hardened to withstand battle conditions, and these shock trials provide data used in validating the shock hardness of the ship,” the Navy wrote in a news release.

Military officials said all tests comply with environmental requirements.

Friday’s blast was the first time the Navy has conducted shock trials since 1987.


About the Author
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Veronica Crespo writes for Local10.com and also oversees the Español section of the website. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.

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