This report is being updated.
BY RICHARD MURDOCCO
The earth shook late Friday morning thanks to a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in northwestern New Jersey that was felt as far away as Montreal, Canada.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the 10:23 AM earthquake’s epicenter was in Lebanon, N.J., about 50 miles west of Manhattan.
In the immediate aftermath, several East Coast airports issued ground stops halting air traffic. Officials were noting the potential for aftershocks, which are typically weaker than the initial seismic event, may still occur.
New Yorkers found themselves once again perplexed by the relatively slow messaging from local officials. An alert was sent to City residents about the earthquake at 11:02 AM, while New York State’s push alerts alerted users nearly an hour and a half after the initial event. In recent years, the City in particular has been slow to respond to vivid natural events that were experienced by millions, including drenching floodwaters and drastically darkened summer skies due to plumes of wildfire smoke.
As of writing, no injuries or structural damage was reported.
The morning incident was far from New York’s first experience with earthquakes.
In May of 2023, a 2.2 magnitude earthquake had shaken the New York metro area, while a 3.6 magnitude earthquake rocked the town of Adams Center, N.Y. a month prior. In 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in various cities across the eastern seaboard, including across the Tristate region.
According to officials, there have been more than 550 earthquakes recorded across New York State since the 1700s. Most of New York’s tectonic shifts have occurred around New York City, the Finger Lakes Region west of Rochester, and within the Adirondack Mountains, which is where the strongest shifts have originated. According to data compiled by researchers at Columbia University, this morning’s earthquake was among the most powerful on record to hit the New York region.
Did you feel the shaking? Let the U.S.G.S. know here.
You can find Columbia University’s list of earthquakes that hit the NYC region here.
Pictured: A map of the earthquake’s intensity (SOURCE: USGS)
