Long Islanders were rattled Friday when an earthquake measuring an impressive 4.8 on the Richter Scale rumbled across the region. With its epicenter near Whitehouse Station, NJ, about 50 miles west of New York City, the quake was followed by 32 smaller aftershocks into early Saturday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The initial quake caused little damage but certainly got the attention of those who felt it. Residents in Suffolk, about 100 miles from ground zero, reported their houses shaking and an uneasy feeling for about 30 seconds, likening the experience to a heavy truck shaking the ground as it passes by. Airports were temporarily closed out of caution while social media lit up, with many wondering what was going on.
“There definitely was an #earthquake on Long Island this morning,” hashtagged Janice Dean, a Fox News Meteorologist. “Solid 30 seconds of shaking in Suffolk County. Wow,” posted John Jeffrey Martin. “Where I live in Suffolk County, we had an earthquake. My house shook. It was so scary,” said Twitter user @Marco15Trump.“Whole house shook,” posted Roberto Perez.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also took to Twitter to assure residents that no major incidents or accidents took place. “The Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation, and my office is in communication with our region's local governments, hospitals, and emergency management agencies,” Romaine reported.
While earthquakes of this magnitude are rare in the region, the East Coast is not immune to seismic events. Last year, Buffalo was hit by a quake registering 3.8 on the scale used to classify the sudden movements of the earth. It was the strongest quake recorded in Western New York in 40 years. The latest quake was the most powerful to hit the Garden State in 200 years and was felt as far north as Maine and south to Virginia.
Unlike California, which sits atop an earthquake zone caused by tectonic plates grinding into each other, the Northeast has ancient fault lines in its crust that settle and readjust, similar to an old house creaking and groaning over the years, experts say.
County Executive Romaine encouraged home and business owners to check around their property to make sure there are no unsafe conditions.