NEW YORK – A 4.8 magnitude earthquake recorded in New Jersey that shook residents in surrounding states and New York City on Friday morning was one of the strongest in state history.
The temblor was reported about 5 miles north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, at about 10:23 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was about 45 miles away from New York City, where residents reported shaking furniture and floors.
“Earthquakes in this region are uncommon but not unexpected. It’s likely people near the epicenter are going to feel aftershocks for this earthquake in the magnitude 2-3 range, and there’s a small chance there can be an earthquake as large or larger, following an earthquake like this,” Paul Earle, a seismologist at the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program told reporters. “In terms of our operations this is a routine earthquake … Immediately we knew this would be of high interest and important to people who don’t feel earthquakes a lot.”
No major disruptions or damage have been reported in New Jersey or New York.
“We have activated our State Emergency Operations Center. Please do not call 911 unless you have an actual emergency,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
President Joe Biden spoke with Murphy about the earthquake and the White House is monitoring the situation, the White House said.
“The President said his Administration is in touch with state and local officials and will provide assistance if needed,” according to a White House statement.
In Yonkers, New York, Mayor Mike Spano said City Hall shook but no injuries were reported.
“A few moments ago our entire house shook for about 25 seconds or so here in Mendham, NJ,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.
USGS is still investigating the exact fault line at the center of Friday’s quake, and said it occurred in a region with dozens of fault lines that were more active millions of years ago.
‘It felt like a plane crashed outside’ near epicenter
Nicole Kravitz, 33, was baking muffins at the cafe she co-owns with her husband in New Jersey when the floor began to shake. She and the cooks looked at each other for a few moments, and then at some stacked plates and glasses that had started vibrating.
“It felt like a plane crashed outside,” she said. “No one knew what was happening.”
Some workers ran out the door to see if something had smashed into the building while she checked the basement for damage. Meanwhile, Patrick Tucker, her husband, who was picking up beef from a nearby farm, watched agitated chickens and cows run around in their pens, visibly shaken by the quake.
Kravitz said the intensity of the earthquake made her feel like she was back in Southern California, where she had lived for several years before she returned to her home state in 2016.
Each year, National Earthquake Information Center locates approximately 20,000 earthquakes around the world. That is about 55 earthquakes per day. By some estimates, there may be even more.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is an estimated 500,000 detectable earthquakes each year – “100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.”
You may remember learning about earthquakes in science class or seeing the devastating impacts in the news. But an earthquake is more than the Earth shaking. Read on to learn what causes earthquakes.
What is an earthquake?
An earthquake occurs when parts of the Earth’s crust move past one another, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. When these blocks shift, it creates an intense shaking motion known as an earthquake.
Earthquakes begin underits Earth’s surface in the epicenter. They can occur without warning and can lead to other natural disasters, such as fires, tsunamis, landslides and avalanches, according to National Geographic.
Earthquakes are measured in magnitude, which determines their size. The greater the number, the larger and more powerful the earthquake.
Types of earthquakes
There are four types of earthquakes, according to the United Nations:
- Tectonic earthquakes
- Volcanic earthquakes
- Collapse earthquakes
- Explosion earthquakes
What causes earthquakes?
The Earth has four layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle and crust. The crust and top of the mantle make up another area called the “lithosphere,” which acts like a skin surrounding the Earth’s surface.
The lithosphere, however, is not in one piece and exists like a puzzle or series of fragments, according to the USGS. These parts of the lithosphere are not stationary and move slowly. These are called “tectonic plates.”
As the tectonic plates move and shift past one another, they occasionally bump or collide. This places stress on the plates’ edges. When the stress becomes too great, it creates cracks called “faults.” The point where these faults move against each other is called the “fault line.”
When there is too much friction between the fault lines, energy is released suddenly, triggering seismic waves which lead to an earthquake.
Why are we having so many earthquakes? Has naturally occurring earthquake activity been increasing? Does this mean a big one is going to hit? OR We haven’t had any earthquakes in a long time; does this mean that the pressure is building up for a big one?
A temporary increase or decrease in seismicity is part of the normal fluctuation of earthquake rates. Neither an increase nor decrease worldwide is a positive indication that a large earthquake is imminent.
The ComCat earthquake catalog contains an increasing number of earthquakes in recent years–not because there are more earthquakes, but because there are more seismic instruments and they are able to record more earthquakes.
The National Earthquake Information Center now locates about 20,000 earthquakes around the globe each year, or approximately 55 per day. As a result of the improvements in communications and the increased interest in natural disasters, the public now learns about earthquakes more quickly than ever before.
According to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 16 major earthquakes in any given year. That includes 15 earthquakes in the magnitude 7 range and one earthquake magnitude 8.0 or greater. In the past 40-50 years, our records show that we have exceeded the long-term average number of major earthquakes about a dozen times.
The year with the largest total was 2010, with 23 major earthquakes (greater than or equal to magnitude 7.0). In other years the total was well below the annual long-term average of 16 major earthquakes. 1989 only had 6 major earthquakes and 1988 only had 7.No. Neither the USGS nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future. USGS scientists can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur ( shown on our hazard mapping ) in a specific area within a certain number of years. An earthquake prediction must define 3 elementsNo, earthquakes of magnitude 10 or larger cannot happen. The magnitude of an earthquake is related to the length of the fault on which it occurs. That is, the longer the fault, the larger the earthquake. A fault is a break in the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust, along which rocks on either side have moved past each other. No fault long enough to generate a magnitude 10 earthquake is known toShallow crevasses can form during earthquake-induced landslides, lateral spreads, or from other types of ground failures, but faults do not open up during an earthquake. An earthquake occurs when two blocks of the earth’s crust slide past one another after having been stuck together in one place for a long time, because of friction on the fault, while the rest of the crust away from the edges.
Shallow crevasses can form during earthquake-induced landslides, lateral spreads, or from other types of ground failures, but faults do not open up during an earthquake. An earthquake occurs when two blocks of the earth’s crust slide past one another after having been stuck together in one place for a long time, because of friction on the fault, while the rest of the crust away from the edges.
Solar flares and magnetic storms belong to a set of phenomena known collectively as “space weather”. Technological systems and the activities of modern civilization can be affected by changing space-weather conditions. However, it has never been demonstrated that there is a causal relationship between space weather and earthquakes. Indeed, over the course of the Sun’s 11-year variable cycle.
Electromagnetic variations have been observed after earthquakes, but despite decades of work, there is no convincing evidence of electromagnetic precursors to earthquakes. It is worth acknowledging that geophysicists would actually love to demonstrate the reality of such precursors, especially if they could be used for reliably predicting earthquakes! Learn more: USGS Geomagnetism Program