(WBEN) The US Geologic Survey reports a 2.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Olcott New York, just after midnight.

The deep quake ocurred at 12:34 local time, approx. 5 kilometers below the surface.

Several people living in the northern areas of Niagara County report hearing brief booms last night.

The Geologic Survey says such small scale quakes are not unheard of in Western New York, but pale in comparison to the larger events in other places.

See their description of the region's overall quake conditions, below

Earthquakes in the Niagra-Attica Zone

This part of southern Ontario and western New York State has had moderately frequent earthquakes at least since the first one was reported in 1840. The largest (magnitude 4.9) caused moderate damage in 1929 near Attica, New York. Earthquakes too small to cause damage are felt roughly three or four times per decade, although only one was felt during the 1940s and eight were felt during the 1960s.

Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains, although less frequent than in the west, are typically felt over a much broader region. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast. A magnitude 4.0 eastern earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi).