NEW YORK – A 4.8 magnitude earthquake recorded in New Jersey shook residents in surrounding states and New York City on Friday morning.
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.
New Jersey business owner describes worst quake ever felt, but went right back to work
It was a busy day for La Bella Salon & Spa in Lebanon, New Jersey, when an earthquake struck near the rural township.
About a dozen stylists and customers, some who were getting their hair dyed while others got manicures and eyelash extensions, all froze as the building rattled for about 30 seconds.
“People started to feel the shaking, and it got worse and worse. We were like ‘Oh, my god, what is going on?’" said shop owner Rosanne Drechsel. “I thought a truck hit the building or something.”
After the tremor subsided, nearly everyone in the building started receiving texts and phone calls from friends and family, Drechsel, 61, said.
Nothing was damaged and no one was injured, but Drechsel, who was born and raised in New Jersey, said it was “by far the worst earthquake” she had ever felt.
“We all went back to work and finished the appointments,” she said. “Customers are calling now to see if we're still open and if they can still make their appointments later on today.”
-Christopher Cann
'It was scary': Quake rattles shelves in Brooklyn bodega
In Brooklyn, residents said they felt their buildings shake and many went outdoors after the rumbling stopped to check in with neighbors.
Julio Melo, a deli worker, said he thought the sounds of the earthquake resembled those of a large truck going down the street. But when Melo, 32, looked around and saw beer bottles rattling on store shelves, and a potted plant shimmy down the counter, he thought it might be something bigger, he told USA TODAY.
“I looked at my employee and he had the same tragic face on as me, it was scary,” he said at Jenesis’ Grocery Corp. in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
-Claire Thornton
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.
Ground stops issued at regional airports
The Federal Aviation Administration issued departure ground stops for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) until 11:30 a.m. ET and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) until 12:30 p.m. 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 stops.
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.
The magnitude and effect of an earthquake, according to Michigan Technological University:
- 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
Intensity scales, measured in Roman numerals, are used to describe how strong the earthquake felt to people in the area.
According to the California Earthquake Authority, an intensity of I is typically felt only under especially favorable conditions. A IV, which leads to light shaking, is felt indoors by many, but not typically outdoors. It might awaken some people at night and lead to a sensation like a truck striking a building. A parked car would rock. Intensities VI and above would be strong, frightening and felt by all, with the damage increasing up to a X where the shaking would be violent. Some well-built wooden structures would be destroyed and most masonry and frame structures along with their foundations would be ruined.
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
