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| Earthquake shakes U.S. East Coast |
An earthquake struck the East Coast of the United States on Friday morning, according to the US Geological Survey, causing buildings to shake and rattling nerves from Maryland to Maine.
The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake's magnitude reached 4.8, and its epicenter was near Lebanon, New Jersey. It occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. ET. A magnitude 4.0 aftershock struck around 6 p.m. at.
The morning quake was the strongest recorded in the Northeast in more than a decade, according to USGS records.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or deaths. Local and regional officials from cities located in the quake zone said inspections had begun to ensure that buildings, bridges and other infrastructure were not damaged.
James Pittenger, the mayor of Lebanon, New Jersey, called the earthquake "the craziest thing I've ever seen." In an interview with MSNBC, he said he had not received reports of any major damage yet, but added that the shaking caused his dog to run for cover and items to fall from his shelves.
While a 4.8-magnitude quake is not considered a major quake, minor tremors could cause damage on the East Coast, which does not take similar precautions as other earthquake hot spots around the world.
East Coast earthquake
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the earthquake was felt throughout the state.
“My team is assessing the impacts and any damage that may occur, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she wrote on X.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in an afternoon press conference that no major infections or infrastructure impacts had been reported, and that people in the city should "continue with their normal day."
Temporary ground stops have been issued at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's website. Flight disruptions at Newark Airport continued into the afternoon.
Port Authority Transit Corp., which operates a transit route between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, suspended service in the wake of the quake.
“Crews will be checking the integrity of the line out of an abundance of caution,” PATCO said in an update on X. "Once the scan is complete, service will resume. No time frame. Updates to follow."
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority said there was no impact on its service, but teams will inspect the train lines. New Jersey Transit alerted commuters of a 20-minute delay due to bridge inspections following the quake.
While earthquakes in the northeastern United States are rare, Buffalo, New York, was struck by a 3.8-magnitude earthquake in February 2023 — the strongest earthquake recorded in the region in 40 years.
A 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck the tri-state area in 2017, with its epicenter near Little Creek, Delaware, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Before that, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook central Virginia in 2011 and was felt across much of the East Coast, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate buildings in New York, Washington and other cities.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a post on X that the state has activated its emergency operations center and asked the public not to call 911 unless they are experiencing an emergency.
Frederick J. Simons, a professor of geosciences at Princeton University, told NBC News that the quake occurred on a shallow fault system in New Jersey and lasted about 35 seconds.
“The more superficial or closer it is, the more we feel it as humans,” he said.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at a depth of less than 3 miles.
Earthquakes on the East Coast can be felt over a great distance and can cause more pronounced tremors compared to those on the West Coast because the rocks in the area are often older, harder, and denser.
“These are rocks that can transmit energy well,” Simons said.
Simmons said the quake occurred within a fault zone known as the Ramapo system. It is an area in relatively old rock that contains old faults and cracks from ancient tectonic processes. These ancient faults slowly build up, and sometimes something slips through, Simons said.
“There are cracks in it, and every now and then a little bit of movement builds up, and the pressure continues to grow, at very slow rates,” he said. “It's like an old house that's groaning and groaning.”
Simons said this was one of the largest earthquakes New Jersey has seen in recent history. The last notable earthquake was a 3.1 magnitude earthquake in the town of Freehold in September 2020.
“I'm on the Princeton campus experiencing the biggest feeling I've ever felt in my life,” he said. “This shaking was violent, strong and prolonged.”
Some videos captured the moment the quake struck, including a video from a café in New Jersey.
The east coast quake occurred two days after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook the island of Taiwan, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 1,000 others. The two incidents are not believed to be related, said Dara Goldberg, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey.
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