The temblor was reported about 5 miles north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, at about 10:23 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was about 45 miles away from New York City, where residents reported shaking furniture and floors.
No major disruptions or damage have been reported in New Jersey or New York.
“We have activated our State Emergency Operations Center. Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the quake was felt throughout New York, and officials are assessing impacts and any potential damage.
In Yonkers, New York, Mayor Mike Spano said City Hall shook but no injuries were reported.
“A few moments ago our entire house shook for about 25 seconds or so here in Mendham, NJ,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.
Where was the earthquake felt?
Residents and officials said the earthquake was felt throughout New York, as well as in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. It was also felt as far away as Cambridge, Massachusetts, about 250 miles away from the reported epicenter.
Charita Walcott, a 38-year-old resident in the Bronx borough of New York, said the quake felt “like a violent rumble that lasted about 30 seconds or so.”
“It was kind of like being in a drum circle, that vibration,” she said.
Earthquakes common in the region, but the size is unusual: Expert
Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten, a geologist and curator of sedimentary rocks at the New York State Museum, told USA TODAY it’s not surprising this earthquake happened where it did.
“New York, around New York City going into New Jersey, there’s a lot of earthquakes historically down there. Happens every year,” he said. But it’s less common for them to be of such a high magnitude. It’s not surprising that many people felt it, he said. Usually earthquakes in the region are at a lower magnitude and less likely to be felt.
Ver Straeten said the real question now is if this is just a precursor to a larger quake.
“You never know what is the earthquake, what is a pre-earthquake, what is an earthquake happening after the main earthquake, you just have to see,” he said. “One slip along the rock fault, when one happens, it makes other areas around there more tense also and they start to slip and you slip again and slip again.”
But, he added, it would be unlikely for a larger quake to follow this one. In the Northeast, it’s more common for one large quake to be followed by smaller aftershocks, rather than a mounting series of tremors.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued departure ground stops for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Friday morning until 11:30 a.m. ET after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the New York City area. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, JFK is seeing about 32 departure delays and EWR about 41 as of 11 a.m. ET.
The FAA said there’s a “medium” probability of extending the ground stop after 11:30 a.m.
What does magnitude mean in an earthquake?
Magnitude is a measurement of the strength of an earthquake. Officially it’s called the Moment Magnitude Scale. It’s a logarithmic scale, meaning each number is ten times as strong as the one before it. So a 5.2 earthquake is moderate while a 6.2 is strong.
| Magnitude | Effect |
| Below 2.5 | Generally not felt. |
| 2.5 to 5.4 | Minor or no damage. |
| 5.5 to 6.0 | Slight damage to buildings |
| 6.1 to 6.9 | Serious damage |
| 8.0 or greater | Massive damage, can totally destroy communities. |
Source: Michigan Technological University
Intensity scales, measured in Roman numerals, are used to describe how strong the earthquake felt to people in the area.
While you might have heard the term “the Richter Scale” used to describe earthquakes, it is no longer commonly used because it was only valid for certain earthquake frequencies and distance ranges.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contributing: Reuters
