A rare earthquake shook the New York City region on Friday morning, surprising residents and sending officials scrambling to confirm the extent of the damage.
Then, on Friday evening, a strong aftershock was felt across the area, though it was less intense than the initial quake.
Here’s what we know so far about the series of seismic events.
It started just before 10:30 a.m. Friday
The U.S. Geological Survey, a federal agency that tracks seismic events, said the earthquake happened at 10:23 a.m. and lasted less than a minute. That was long enough for many in the area to notice the ground and built environment shaking.
People as far north as Boston and as far south as Philadelphia reported feeling the rumbling.
The earthquake was among the area’s biggest ever recorded
As of Friday night, the preliminary measurement of the earthquake’s magnitude was 4.8, according to the USGS. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said 2011 was the last time such a powerful earthquake was felt in the state.
Geologists said the intensity was unusual but not unprecedented for the region. In the 1700s and 1800s, at least three stronger quakes were recorded locally.
“In the past hundred years, there have been a handful of earthquakes in the broader area of similar magnitudes,” said Paul Earle, a USGS seismologist. “You’re going to have a lot more people feeling this earthquake than you would a similar size earthquake in California.”
It originated in northwest New Jersey and was felt far away
The USGS initially identified the epicenter of the earthquake as Whitehouse Station, in New Jersey’s Hunterdon County, about 50 miles west of New York City. Columbia University professor John Mutter told WNYC the quake might have started along the Ramapo Fault, which was tectonically active about 200 million years ago.
“It felt like you were in the Tower of Terror,” said Karen Romano, borough administrator of Lebanon, New Jersey, about 11 miles from the epicenter. “Everything went up and…
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