Earthquake in Bergen County shakes parts of New Jersey, New York
An earthquake in Bergen County shook parts of New Jersey and New York on Saturday night, the second time in less than two weeks that an earthquake struck in the Garden State.
The quake registering 3.0 on the Richter Scale, which ranges from 1-9, with 1 as the weakest and 9 as the strongest, was recorded at 10:18 p.m. in Hasbrouck Heights.
Officials said it was felt up to 65 miles away from the epicenter, including in parts of New York's Lower Hudson Valley and western Connecticut.
Aftershocks possible after New Jersey earthquake
Though the New Jersey earthquake was a relatively weak one, numerous residents in New York City and its surrounding suburbs reported feeling the rumbling as well.
There were no immediate reports of damage from Saturday's quake, but emergency officials warned residents of the possibility for aftershocks over the next few days.
Earthquakes of this size rarely cause damage and usually go unnoticed, according to geologists. Still, officials said to be on the lookout for shifted items, fallen debris and cracks.
"We'll be carrying out inspections throughout the evening, but at this time we do not see any structural damage," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Saturday night. "If you have any structural damage, please reach out to city officials."
New Yorkers can call 311 to report non-emergency damage.
Past earthquakes in the Tri-State Area
This latest quake comes on the heels of a series of small quakes centered around the Morris Plains area in New Jersey on July 21 and July 22.
The initial quake during that round registered at only a 1.6 in magnitude on July 21. However, five aftershocks followed into the day and night of July 22, with the fourth aftershock registering higher than the initial shock, coming in at 2.0 in magnitude. Little to no damage was reported from that round.
Although New Jersey is not known to be a hotbed of seismic activity, such as places like California or Japan, it does have a rather active fault line that traverses the north central part of the state. This fault line, known as the Ramapo Fault line, is responsible for producing several quakes a year. These quakes are usually small, and are not felt far from outside their epicenters in northern New Jersey.
However, there are exceptions. One example was on April 5 of last year, when a 4.8 magnitude quake centered in Tewksbury, New Jersey, shook office buildings across New York City, and was felt as far away as Maine and Virginia. That recent quake did produce some damage to homes in New Jersey, and was estimated to be felt by 42 million people, according to the USGS.
More than 205 aftershocks carried on for weeks and even months after the initial quake. The strongest had a 3.7 magnitude, which occurred seven hours after the first quake.
The earthquake of April 5, 2024, was also the second strongest earthquake in New Jersey history. The strongest quake recorded in the Garden State occurred on Nov. 29, 1783, and registered a 5.3 in magnitude.