Rare magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes New Jersey, is felt across New York region
Jenny Jarvie Rong-Gong Lin II April 5, 2024
A rare magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattled New Jersey on Friday and was felt across the New York region.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was felt across New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The quake’s epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, N.J., around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. The area is about 50 miles west of Manhattan. It struck about 40 miles southwest of Manhattan at 10:23 a.m. Eastern time. The epicenter was less than 1 mile northwest of the unincorporated community of Oldwick in New Jersey.
People in New York City reported feeling buildings sway from the shaking.
An analysis from the USGS found the quake was small enough that there “is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.”
According to the USGS, strong shaking was felt at the epicenter, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. That’s enough to be felt by everyone, but cause only slight damage. A large part of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast felt weak shaking, according to people who filed reports to the USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” tracking service. Weak shaking is defined as being felt quite noticeably by people indoors, especially on the upper floors of a building, and may rock standing motor vehicles slightly. Weak shaking was felt from Washington to Maine, including in Boston, Philadelphia, and Albany, N.Y. Taiwan’s massive earthquake could happen in California. What we can learn from it Earthquakes are not unknown in the eastern United States . Over the last half-century, more than 400 quakes of a magnitude 3.5 or greater have been recorded across eastern North America, according to the
. The most powerful was a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Mineral, Va., in August 2011. In April 2002, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded in Au Sable Forks, N . Y . , and in August 2020, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded in Sparta, N.C.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
