2024 New Jersey earthquake

Coordinates: 40°40′59″N 74°45′11″W / 40.683°N 74.753°W / 40.683; -74.753
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2024 New Jersey earthquake
Shake map showing the epicenter of the earthquake
USGS ShakeMap
2024 New Jersey earthquake is located in New Jersey
2024 New Jersey earthquake
2024 New Jersey earthquake is located in the United States
2024 New Jersey earthquake
UTC time2024-04-05 14:23:20
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateApril 5, 2024; 1 day ago (April 5, 2024)
Local time10:23
MagnitudeMwr4.8
Depth4.7 km (2.9 mi)
Epicenternear Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, U.S.
40°40′59″N 74°45′11″W / 40.683°N 74.753°W / 40.683; -74.753
Areas affectedNortheastern United States
Maryland
Washington, D.C.
Virginia
Max. intensityVI (Strong)
AftershocksMw 2.2, Mw 3.8
CasualtiesNone

On April 5, 2024, at 10:23 EDT (14:23 UTC), a Mw 4.8 earthquake occurred in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with an epicenter near Whitehouse Station. While it was felt across the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas and other parts of the northeastern United States as far as Boston, it had a relatively minor impact, with no major damage reported in New York and New Jersey.[1][2] There were several aftershocks throughout the rest of the day.[3]

It was the strongest earthquake to affect New Jersey since the 5.3 Mfa 1783 New Jersey earthquake,[4] and the strongest to hit New York City since an estimated 5.0 magnitude earthquake on August 10, 1884.[5][2]

Tectonic setting[edit]

The earthquake may have taken place along the Ramapo Fault,[6] which extends from Pennsylvania to New York;[7] the structure formed during the Late Triassic during the break-up of the supercontinent Pangaea.[8] Alternatively, it may have taken place on the Flemington Fault, a younger fault in the same area.[9] The earthquake took place in an area where faults had been previously identified and had the potential to become active again at any moment.[10]

The Whitehouse Station, New Jersey area had previously experienced an earthquake on March 14, 2024 that was retrospectively considered a foreshock of the April 5 event.[11][failed verification]

Earthquake[edit]

The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 4.8 and a depth of 2.9 miles (4.7 km). Its epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, at 40.683°N 74.753°W.[10] Tremors were felt all across the Northeastern United States from Maine in the north to Washington, D.C., and Norfolk, Virginia, in the south.[2][12]

At least 12 aftershocks were reported,[13] the strongest of which had a magnitude of 3.8 and took place about 4 miles (6 km) from Gladstone around 17:59 local time.[1][14][3] The USGS projected a 46% chance of an aftershock with a magnitude greater than 3 and a 3% chance of a stronger earthquake with a magnitude above 5 within a week of the initial impact.[1][2]

Impact[edit]

Several buildings in New York City, Philadelphia, Trenton,[failed verification] and Long Island were shaken.[15][12] The USGS estimated that the earthquake was felt by about 42 million people in the area.[12]

The earthquake interrupted a meeting of the Security Council on the Israel-Hamas War at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan,[13][15] while a performance at the New York Philharmonic was briefly delayed by cell phones sounding an alert at 11:02, which was sent about 40 minutes after the earthquakes were felt.[1][16][17] Gas leaks were reported in Rockland County, New York,[1] and an administrative building in Morristown, New Jersey.[18]

Four three-story houses on Seventh Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, were damaged by the earthquake. Twenty-eight residents were evacuated, but no injuries were reported. Three of the houses were "partially toppled" and were subsequently condemned.[1][4] The upper portion of the 264-year old Col. John Taylor’s Grist Mill collapsed into a road.[13]

Aftermath[edit]

The federal government said that it would provide aid if needed.[13]

The Federal Aviation Administration completely halted flights at Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Arrivals into Baltimore/Washington International, LaGuardia, and Teterboro Airports were delayed.[1] The air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport was also evacuated.[19] Many government buildings across New Jersey and New York temporarily closed.[citation needed] Five flights bound for Newark were diverted to Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[13]

The first emergency alert sent to New York City residents came 26 minutes after the earthquake to subscribers of the Notify NYC service. A Wireless Emergency Alert was sent out to the broader region even later, with New Yorkers reporting it arriving 40 minutes after the earthquake.[20] Amid criticism, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol defended the delayed response in a press conference, saying that "Twenty minutes is very fast for a public alert,"[21] and that they needed that time to confirm that it was indeed an earthquake.[20]

The PATCO Speedline temporarily suspended service for inspection "out of an abundance of caution."[4] Amtrak train speeds were restricted throughout the Northeast while railroad tracks were being inspected for damage, and NJ Transit trains on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines were expected to be delayed by up to 20 minutes due to track inspection.[22] AirTrain Newark at the Newark Liberty International Airport was also closed for inspection while its flights were ungrounded.[1]

The Holland Tunnel, a major crossing of the Hudson River, was briefly closed for inspection between 11:00 and 11:15 local time.[15][4] The Lincoln Tunnel was also briefly closed.[23]

Within hours of the earthquake, a custom T-shirt shop in Manhattan began printing a joke souvenir reading "I survived the NYC earthquake April 5, 2024." The store put it on the shop window, a pedestrian took a photo of it, was shared widely on social media, and sold hundreds of shirts.[24][25][26]

See also[edit]

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References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Live Updates: 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles New York City and Northeast". The New York Times. April 5, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Shapiro, Emily (April 5, 2024). "New Jersey, New York City rocked by rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake: Live updates". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Meko, Hurubie (April 5, 2024). "What appeared to be an aftershock was felt throughout New Jersey and New York City Friday afternoon at around 6 p.m." The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Chow, Denise (April 5, 2024). "Earthquake hits U.S. East Coast, shaking buildings from Philadelphia to Boston". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Holliday Smith, Rachel; Homenuk, John. "What to Know About NYC's Biggest Earthquake in 140 Years". The City. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Bush, Evan (April 5, 2024). "New Jersey earthquake calls attention to ancient, potentially unmapped fault lines". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Sykes, L.R., J.G. Armbruster, W.Y. Kim, and L. Seeber (2008), Observations and Tectonic Setting of Historic and Instrumentally Located Earthquakes in the Greater New York City–Philadelphia Area, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 98(4), 1696–1719.
  8. ^ Kleeman, Katrin (September 10, 2018). "29 November 1783: The Night the US East Coast Was Awoken by 'a Small Shock of an Earthquake". Environmental History Now. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  9. ^ Bradley, Kyle; Hubbard, Judith A. (April 5, 2024). "M4.8 New Jersey earthquake shakes Northeastern United States". Earthquake Insights. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "M 4.8 - 2024 Whitehouse Station, New Jersey Earthquake". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "M 2.2 - 5 km NNE of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Magnitude 4.8 earthquake shakes Long Island and New York City areas". Newsday. April 5, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e "US East Coast earthquake rattles millions, but region escapes sweeping damage". Associated Press. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  14. ^ "M 3.8 - 7 km SW of Gladstone, New Jersey". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Harte, Julia; Ax, Joseph (April 5, 2024). "Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City region, USGS says". Reuters. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "Earthquake shakes New York City, New Jersey: Live updates". AP News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Yes, New York City Had an Earthquake Today". Curbed. April 5, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "Morris County shuts administration building in Morristown after earthquake causes gas leak". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  19. ^ Elassar, Ray; Sanchez, Alaa (April 5, 2024). "Earthquake rattles Northeast with shaking felt from New England to DC region". CNN. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (April 5, 2024). "Why did New York City's earthquake alert take so long?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Way, Katie (April 5, 2024). "NYC Pregames Solar Eclipse With a 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake". Hell Gate. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Brian K; Gindis, Mia; Woodhouse, Skylar (April 5, 2024). "NY Area Hit by Biggest Quake in 140 Years; Flights Disrupted". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  23. ^ US: A magnitude-4.8 earthquake in New Jersey causes minor transport disruptions on April 5. /update 1 Archived 2024-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, Crisis 24 Garda, April 5, 2024
  24. ^ Fuller, Thomas (April 5, 2024). "Earthquake Rattles New York and New Jersey, but Does Little Damage". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  25. ^ Williams, Jennifer (April 5, 2024). "Upper West Side shop cashes in on viral earthquake t-shirt". Fox 5 New York. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  26. ^ Frederick, Joseph (April 5, 2024). Earthquake shirts created in New York to commemorate the rare occasion (Video). AP News.
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