A pair of quakes in the Missouri Bootheel shook the region Thursday

A pair of earthquakes in the Missouri Bootheel, one stronger than recent ones, shook the area on Thursday.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of Memphis, a 4.0 magnitude quake, centered about 1.2 miles northwest of Cooter, Missouri, occurred just before 1 p.m. Thursday. Nearly 900 people said they felt it on the USGS website.

An aftershock in that same area registered a 2.1, according to the USGS. It was located about 1.1 miles southwest of Cooter. That second tremor occurred about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.