'Experimental explosion' rocks Florida coast as mysterious earthquake alert sparks alarm

An unusual 'experimental explosion' entry appeared on the government's earthquake tracking website, sparking questions about the mysterious event.

The US Geological Survey detected a 3.9 magnitude earthquake east of Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach, at 3.04pm ET on Thursday.

The event was listed with a depth of 0 feet, indicating the seismic source was at or very near the surface, a characteristic more consistent with an explosion than a typical tectonic earthquake.

Meteorologist Nic Merianos with CBS Miami said on X that he has 'never seen this before.'

A USGS spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The recorded ground motions from this event are more typical of an explosion than a naturally occurring earthquake.

'The Navy has conducted Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) in this region in the past.'

The Navy periodically conducts these controlled underwater detonations to test how new or upgraded warships, like aircraft carriers or combat ships, withstand battle-like explosions near mines or torpedoes.

In 2021, a similar event was detected in the same location when the US Navy set off a test explosion near its new aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford.