Watch: US Navy tests warship with 20 tonnes of explosive, triggers 3.9-magnitude earthquake

The US Navy has uploaded a video of the USS Gerald R Ford, one of the world's largest and newest aircraft carriers, undergoing a "full ship shock trial."

The shock trial comprised the detonation of just under 20 tonnes of explosives within metres of a ship cruising off the east coast of the United States. 

The United States Geological Survey reported a 3.9 magnitude earthquake around 161 kilometres off the coast of Florida. Some media reports said the quake was linked to the ship's shock trial.

Images and video footage showed an enormous burst of water shoot from the ocean as a result of what US media called a 40,000-pound (18,144-kg) explosion.

In a statement, the Navy said that it "conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives to confirm that our warships can continue to achieve challenging mission requirements under adverse conditions they may encounter in battle." 

The USS Gerald R Ford is 333 metres long, 77m high and has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes.

"The first-in-class aircraft carrier was designed using advanced computer modelling 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 added.