Earthquakes Rattle Northeast
A moderate earthquake shook the Northeast of the United States this weekend, with the epicenter in New Jersey. The Friday morning earthquake was followed by a second quake of a similar size in the afternoon.
The quake occurred about 45 miles west of New York City, near Lebanon, New Jersey. The 4.7 magnitude earthquake was felt across much of the Northeast. Despite the tremors, there have been no reports of serious damage or injury.
A spokesperson for the New York City mayor’s office said that the city was “still assessing the impact.”
“My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
Later in the day a second earthquake shook the same region. Around 6 p.m. Friday, there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake about 37 miles from New York City, also in New Jersey. This quake was felt by a smaller part of the surrounding area.
Overall, there were 19 aftershocks after the first quake Friday morning.
Social media lit up with individuals writing about their experience in the earthquake. A store put out a shirt with the date of the quake on it.
A map of the region showed a heavy concentration of reported shaking in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and the southern part of New York. Overall, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) received more than 150,000 reports from citizens.
There were no reports of injury or serious damage after the second earthquake.
The epicenter of one of the quakes and an aftershock was about eight miles from the Bedminster, New Jersey golf course owned by former President Donald Trump.
Trump's Bedminster golf course is rocked by 2.0-magnitude aftershock from 4.8 earthquake https://t.co/V9jCBTRcB6 pic.twitter.com/RwoO3AfBe6
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) April 5, 2024
This was the most powerful earthquake in the region since one in August 2011.
The earthquake comes amid a series of interesting natural phenomena. On Monday, much of the Northeast will be in the line of a solar eclipse. The eclipse is the first full solar blocking of the sun in the region in several decades.
