A magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck northern New Jersey on Tuesday, August 5. Tremors were reported live on air from newsrooms and felt by residents across the NYC area, just days after a similar quake.
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HILLSDALE, NJ – A minor earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.7 shook parts of northern New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area on Tuesday, causing a stir among residents but no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at approximately 12:11 p.m. ET. The epicenter was located about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) southwest of Hillsdale in Bergen County, New Jersey, at a relatively shallow depth of about 7.7 miles.
The shaking was felt broadly, and the event’s immediacy was captured live on local news. At FOX 5 New York, anchor Antwan Lewis reported that the tremor was felt within their own newsroom and that colleagues with ties to New Jersey were receiving calls from relatives asking what was happening. This personal experience mirrored reactions across the region, as social media platforms quickly lit up with posts from residents in Bergen, Rockland, and Westchester counties, as well as from the boroughs of New York City. The USGS “Did You Feel It?” webpage received thousands of responses within an hour of the event.
This latest tremor comes just three days after a slightly stronger magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck nearby Hasbrouck Heights on the evening of Saturday, August 2. That event was also widely felt and put the region on alert. Tuesday’s quake is considered by seismologists to be a likely aftershock of the weekend event.
Officials have not reported any structural damage or disruptions to services, and news outlets continue to gather information on how widely the tremor was experienced across the Tri-State area.
Seismologists explain that even small-magnitude earthquakes can be felt over a broad area in the Eastern United States. The region’s older, colder, and more efficient crustal rock allows seismic waves (P-waves and S-waves) to travel further than they do in the more fractured geology of the Western U.S. Emergency management agencies in both New York and New Jersey have confirmed they are monitoring the situation but have stated that there is no cause for alarm.
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