New Yorkers were stunned as a 4.8 magnitude earthquake started rattling New York City for about 20 seconds around 10:20 am this morning.
Governor Kathy Hochul stated:
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York. My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.
Hochul added that we haven’t felt an earthquake of a magnitude this level since about 2011.
According to Associated Press, the U.S. Geological Survey stated the earthquake was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey. Shocks were felt as far as in Philadelphia and Boston. Residents on Long Island also felt it.
According to the New York Times, an aftershock with a magnitude of 2.0 happened around 11:20 am near Bedminster, New Jersey, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. It was likely too weak to be felt by most people, however.
As of now, the New York Fire Department has said there were no initial reports of damage.
We’ll continue to update this article as we learn more, but here’s everything you need to know as of now:
Did NYC just have an earthquake?
Short answer: yes.
Is NYC in danger of earthquakes?
Though NYC doesn’t sit on a seismically active fault line, there’s a moderate risk of earthquakes in NYC. However, its large population, age of infrastructure, and other factors increases the city’s risk factor.
Has New York ever had a major earthquake?
The largest earthquake NYC ever experienced was on September 5th, 1994 with a magnitude of 5.9.
U.S.G.S. data shows that this earthquake is the third strongest one to occur within 250 miles of NYC since 1950.
Is there an earthquake fault line in New York?
There are fault lines in NYC, however New York City does not sit on a major fault line.
What year was the last earthquake in NYC?
NYC’s most recent earthquake was actually only three months ago. On January 3rd, 2024, a 1.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Queens. You can read more about that here.