Video: Navy Fires On Its Own Ship (And Sets Off An Earthquake)

DAYTONA BEACH, FL — The U.S. Navy set off a minor earthquake 100 miles off the coast of Florida after firing thousands of pounds of explosives at the USS Gerald Ford in a simulation to determine how the aircraft carrier would perform in battle conditions.

The Navy posted video to social media Sunday showing the massive explosion of a 40,000-bomb detonated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The test about 100 miles off the coast of Florida caused a 3.9 magnitude earthquake near Florida’s Daytona Beach. A spokesperson for the Navy said it’s not uncommon for tests conducted as part of its "full ship shock trials" to register as earthquakes.

“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 said in a statement.

The Navy has conducted similar tests over several decades, most recently for the Littoral Combat Ships USS Jackson and USS Milwaukee in 2016.

Others have included for the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde in 2008, the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in 1990, and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay in 1987.

The last aircraft carrier to undergo the testing was USS Theodore Roosevelt in 1987.

When testing of the USS Gerald Ford is completed later this summer, the aircraft carrier will undergo "modernization, maintenance and repairs" before re-entering operations, the Navy said.