What we know so far
- An earthquake struck the East Coast of the United States today.
- The USGS measured the quake as a 4.8 temblor with its epicenter near Lebanon, New Jersey. It struck a little before 10:30 a.m. ET.
- A series of aftershocks hit throughout the day, including one around 6 p.m. ET that measured at 4.0-magnitude.
- Today's earthquake is the strongest to hit New Jersey in almost 250 years, according to state data.
- No injuries have been reported so far.
- While earthquakes in the northeast U.S. are rare, Buffalo, New York, was struck by a 3.8-magnitude quake in February 2023 — the strongest recorded in the area in 40 years.
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New Jersey earthquake calls attention to ancient, potentially unmapped fault lines
The fault that ruptured beneath New Jersey on Friday morning was likely an ancient, sleeping seam in the Earth, awakened by geologic forces in a region where earthquakes are rare and seismic risks are not fully understood.
The magnitude-4.8 earthquake was the strongest in New Jersey in over 200 years. As the shaking calmed on Friday, scientists began working to pinpoint where exactly the rupture occurred.
“This is a region with many older faults that may be reactivated at any time. At this time, the fault that caused the earthquake isn’t yet known,” said Jessica Jobe, a USGS research geologist.
At least a dozen aftershocks reported since morning quake
There have been at least a dozen aftershocks following this morning’s earthquake, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist said.
Though they can revive fear triggered by the initial temblor, they can also serve as reminders of the decreasing possibility a larger quake will strike, geophysicist Timothy Clements said.
"The likelihood of larger earthquake happening is going down with time," said Clements, a California-based former Harvard earth and planetary science researcher.
Today's aftershocks include the 4.0 magnitude temblor just before 6 p.m. and at least 11 others, which registered at least magnitude 1.8 on the Richter scale, Clements said.
There may have been more aftershocks, but they were not detected if they were under magnitude 1.8, he said.
Earthquakes near the epicenter are considered an aftershock for a year or up to five years, Clements said. Shakers away from the epicenter can be considered their own quakes.
And anything with a larger magnitude in the same location will be its own earthquake, and today's 4.8-magnitude quake will be redesignated as a foreshock, according to the USGS.
Video: Statue of Liberty shakes during earthquake
EarthCam video footage shows the Statue of Liberty trembling during the earthquake this morning.
'No reports of significant damage,' N.Y. governor says following aftershock
Aftershock felt in New York and New Jersey
A 4.0-magnitude aftershock was recorded this afternoon, triggering a fresh wave of social media posts.
According to the USGS, the 4.0-magnitude temblor occurred 4.3 miles southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey, at 5:59 p.m. ET.
Shortly after, Gov. Phil Murphy said on X that New Jersey "just experienced an aftershock."
New York City Emergency Management said it “experienced shaking in our facility” around that time.
The Empire State Building seemed to notice the shaking as well.
The pictures didn’t even rattle: Earthquake veterans say they are unfazed
As those in the New York tri-state area attempt to make sense of the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rumbled residents on Friday morning, many transplants from quake-prone areas aren’t processing the rare temblor with the same degree of shock.
Many whose loved ones are from Taiwan, which just experienced a massive 7.4-magnitude quake, as well as those from California, where the seismic events are a regular occurrence, weren’t fazed by the tremor that shook parts of the East Coast.
“As someone who’s from the West Coast, I was very much like, ‘Oh, this is an earthquake,’” said Cameron Kim, who hails from the Bay Area. “I didn’t hear the pictures on the wall rattle so for me, that’s usually a good indicator of how big the shake is.”
However, after seeing confusion and uncertainty from those around them, several pointed out that the lack of government preparedness and safety instruction is undeniable.
New York City store wasted no time making 2024 earthquake T-shirts
When the earthquake shook his New York City store this morning, Kerry Colley had an idea: Why not sell some merchandise to commemorate the event?
About 10 minutes later, Colley said, he had tees for sale in his Upper West Side store, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More. The shirts, which read "I SURVIVED THE NYC EARTHQUAKE" and have today's date on them, immediately attracted attention on social media and brought in customers.
"We are a little slammed," Colley said in a phone interview Friday afternoon, adding that he has sold an estimated 100 shirts already.
And customers aren't waiting to change into their new shirts, Colley said.
"We just had a guy that took a subway for 45 minutes, went in the bathroom and put the shirt on," he said.
Big Frog was able to quickly print out the shirts on a garment printer that it has in-store, Colley said. They are selling for $10 each.
"We print on-demand," he said. "We have not been able to keep up."
'Everything started to shake': Reactions to 4.8 earthquake run gamut from mild surprise to outright shock
So yes, by West Coast standards, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake might not seem like something to get too ruffled about. A quick look at the memes dominating the internet the past few hours attest to that. But, for those in the tri-state area less accustomed to such rumblings, Friday’s unexpected turbulence still came as something of a jolt. A few people shared their experiences with NBC News.
“Our whole home shook in New Jersey,” Jon Seiler said. “My kids were in their bedrooms. My son saw bobbleheads shaking. We were in the kitchen and felt it shaking. Everybody kind of ran to the center of the house, and we all kind of stood there not knowing what was going on.”
Seiler added: “We felt it, it was a crazy noise, we thought first it was from outside. Thought that there was construction happening across the street ... maybe something dropped over there. We all just kind of stood in the center and kind of held on to a wall, and braced ourselves and kind of stood there. My kids’ hearts were racing, and it was a wild little moment. Unforgettable for the kids for sure.”
Nadine Rizzo was sitting at her desk when the earth started to move underneath her feet.
“Everything started to shake. And I looked around and nobody moved, so I just went and kept working. And then, the phone blew up, and teams chat and Google and everybody, ‘Did you feel that, is everybody OK?’ And everybody seemed fine.”
“I looked out of the office and nobody moved, nobody flinched, nobody — everybody just kept working! Another day in New York City!”
Christine O’Brien was on a New Jersey Transit train to NYC when the quake occurred and she suddenly started getting alerts from her family and neighbors. “They said in Hopewell, New Jersey, near Princeton, that it felt like thunder coming up from the ground. A few things falling off shelves and then it just stopped. Some people ran out of their homes, just not recognizing what else to do. Because in New Jersey, we are really not prepped for earthquakes.”
“We don’t really practice like our brethren out in California to find a door frame or a bathtub or get under your desk,” O’Brien said. “So, I think it took everybody by surprise.”
Elaine Basinger was sitting in a rocking chair when the ground started to shake.
“And then, it seemed like the walls were kind of shaking also. I knew right away it was an earthquake,” she said. “I’ve lived through shocks like in visiting different places, like Chile.”
Earthquake was strongest to hit East Coast since 2011
The magnitude-4.8 earthquake that shook the Northeast this morning was the strongest earthquake to hit the East Coast since a 5.8-magnitude quake struck Virginia in 2011.
That earthquake forced evacuations of buildings in New York; Washington, D.C.; and other cities, and it disrupted air and train traffic across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and U.S. Capitol were among the areas evacuated. The Washington Monument was damaged as a result.
People near quake's center describe 'loud roaring'
Residents near the quake's center recalled the moment the 4.8-magnitude temblor hit this morning.
Amy Hoffman, 23, of Lebanon, was in her room getting ready for work when, she said, her house started to shake and she heard a "really loud" sound.
“When my house initially started to shake, I actually thought it was a helicopter flying overhead,” she said. “A couple of pictures fell off my wall and it felt like it lasted forever.”
Daniyal Khan, 21, lives just minutes away from the epicenter in Califon.
“I was sitting upright in bed when a loud roaring started all around me,” he said, adding that lightweight items started rattling on his desk.
Khan texted his friends, who confirmed they felt the rumbling, too.
“It was pretty surreal, as nothing like this has happened in the 15 years I’ve lived here,” he said.
The earthquake didn’t appear to damage Khan's home.
“I mostly found myself laughing at how strange it all was. Just two days ago there was a huge storm. And in three days, there’s a total eclipse,” he said.