On Friday, April 5th, 2024, an earthquake struck New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, reaching a magnitude of 4.8. The aftershocks were also felt across the tri-state.
“Seven more aftershocks have hit the region since late Sunday night,” Pix11 News states. “Most have been located near the epicenter of the earthquake in Hunterdon County.” The earthquake was about 40 miles west of New York City. It occurred just after 10:20 a.m. at a depth of 4.7 kilometers or 2.9 miles.
In an afternoon news briefing in NYC, Mayor Eric Adams said that no major injuries or impacts to infrastructure were reported and that people in the city should “go about their normal day.” According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, ground stops were temporarily issued at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Flight disruptions at the Newark Liberty International airport continued into the afternoon.
Friday’s earthquake seemed to be the topic of conversation when students came back from spring break.
“I was at home during spring break laying down in my bed,”a JFKMHS student states. “Just as I was getting up, everything started to shake. My TV, my bed, my mirror and just everything. I was nervous and didn’t know what was going on. I tried to call my mom but my phone service wasn’t working for the first few minutes after the earthquake. Then I went on Instagram and everyone was on their notes saying that we just had an earthquake. That’s when I finally knew what was happening.”
While this earthquake is relatively small globally and is not considered a major earthquake, even minor shaking can cause damage. Earthquakes of this magnitude are widely felt in the eastern United States because of efficient seismic wave propagation in the region. This type of earthquake does not take drastic measures as compared to other earthquake hot spots around the world where they are more dangerous.
