A rare 1.8-magnitude earthquake shook parts of New Jersey this week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremor occurred at 8:23 a.m. in Gladstone, a town located about 45 miles west of New York City.
This quake struck near the epicenter of a stronger 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rattled New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area in April 2024. While earthquakes are less common on the East Coast compared to the West Coast, they can still occur due to ancient fault lines beneath the region, despite the area not being on an active tectonic plate boundary.
The largest earthquake to ever hit New Jersey was the 1783 New Jersey earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 5.3. It struck on November 30, 1783, with its epicenter believed to be near New York City or northern New Jersey.
While there were no modern seismographs at the time, historical records indicate that the quake was strong enough to rattle buildings, shake furniture, and be felt as far away as Pennsylvania and New England.
Earlier last year, a 4.8 earthquake centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, was felt across the Northeast.
Residents of Philadelphia to Baltimore felt the earthquake, according to CBS News.
New York City public schools were told to continue the day as normal.
“Parents do not need to pick up their child early as a result of today’s earthquake. Additionally, all after-school programs will continue as planned,” New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks said. “All of our students across the school system are safe. All of our staff are safe. We have no reports of any structural damage to any of our school facilities, while many schools in fact felt some tremors from the earthquake.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) said that her “team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”
