New Jersey was hit by an earthquake Friday that was felt in parts of New York.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) detected a 2.4-magnitude in Bergen County, but residents in the Bronx and Yonkers reported shaking in the area.
The earthquake hit at 1:02pm ET near Paramus where residents reported the tremors sounding ‘like a car hit the house.’
Others said they heard a ‘hum for about three to five seconds’ or felt it while sitting in the vehicle.
USGS reported that the earthquake was felt in parts of Rockland and Westchester.
The quake had a depth of just under five miles. These shallow earthquake are generally more damaging than deeper events because they are closer to the surface.
Bergen County’s Office of Emergency Management said: ‘No reports of serious damage have been reported at this time. We will continue to monitor this situation and issue further alerts as warranted.’
Paramus sits on the Ramapo Fault line, the largest system of cracks in the Northeast, which released a 4.8-magnitude on April 5, 2024 that was felt my millions in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Delaware.
New Jersey was hit by an earthquake Friday that was felt in parts of New York City
Reports of the earthquake flooded USGS, but showed the hundreds of people only felt light shaking.
Residents posted reactions to Friday’s earthquake on Reddit, with reports coming surfacing in Mildford, Bayonne and Fair lawn.
‘Saddle River Road… my whole building shook,’ a Redditor shared.
The Ramapo Fault formed 400 million years ago – much older than California’s 28-million-year-old San Andreas.
The system spans from upstate New York, through New Jersey and down into Pennsylvania – and experts have long believed it has the potential to produce a major seismic event.
The fault line released a major quake in April, which caused a 4.0-magnitude aftershock the next day.
Aftershocks are small tremors that occur in the days, months or years near the site of an initial earthquake. This one had a magnitude of 4.0 – considered to on the lower end of the minor-to-moderate range, with 4.9 being the highest.
Some speculated that Friday’s earthquake may have also been an aftershock from last year’s seismic event.
‘Aftershocks can continue over a period of weeks, months, or years,’ USGS said.
New Jersey has experienced more than 200 tremors since the April earthquake, caused by rocks re-adjusting themselves following the major one.
The last largest to hit New Jersey was a 5.3-magnitude in 1738.
