A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the East Coast. When was the last quake in New Jersey, NYC?

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake recorded in New Jersey shook residents in New York City and surrounding states a little after 10:20 a.m. Friday. It has since been determined to be one of the strongest in state history.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake, occurring near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, was the strongest in the area since 1884. Registering at a 4.8 magnitude on the Moment Magnitude Scale (MM scale), tremors could reportedly be felt by people up to 200 miles from the epicenter, from Washington, D.C. to New England.

While it was felt far and wide, officials have reported no major damage or injuries thus far.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Friday afternoon that "there are no life safety or infrastructure problems reported at this time."

He said there were no known disruptions to the power, water, or gas systems and inspectors have found no problems with examined buildings. New York Governor Kathy Hochul shared much the same, saying "There are no reports of damage or injuries from this morning's earthquake at this time."

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted shortly after the quake that the State Emergency Operations Center had been activated and continued to share posts from other agencies throughout the afternoon, confirming ongoing checks of local infrastructure.

This time around, the East Coast seems to have faired relativity well, even if many people in the area felt unprepared for what is considered a rare event in the region. While major quakes are relatively uncommon, Eastern states aren't necessarily total earthquake novices - in fact, they happen more than many might realize.

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When was the last earthquake in New York City?

Major, detectable earthquakes are rare occurrences in the New York City area. Much smaller tremors that aren't generally felt by the public are a little more common, however.

The last quake that technically occurred in NYC was January 2, when a 1.7-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Queens and Roosevelt Island. Before that, a 2.2-magnitude quake originating about 20 miles north of the city shook parts of Westchester and NYC on May 19, 2023.

And, on Sept. 9, 2020, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake was registered in Marlboro, New Jersey and was felt in the New York metro area.

Generally, people don't notice an earthquake until it reaches about 2.5 on the MM scale.

The last quake originating in NYC itself to surpass that number was a 2.6 temblor on Oct. 27, 2001.

Moving further up the scale, the New York City area has experienced few earthquakes registering at a 4.5 or higher and even fewer at 5.0 or higher.

Notably, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York and other East Coast cities on Aug. 23, 2011. Even with an epicenter in Virginia, the large quake caused evacuations and damage in the New York metro region.

Before this was the Cornwall-Massena earthquake of 1944, which measured at 5.8 and a 5.0 quake measured in New York City in 1884. 

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When was the last earthquake in New Jersey?

Friday's earthquake was the most significant to impact North Jersey since 1884, when an Aug. 10 earthquake caused major structural damage to local buildings.

There were only three earthquakes in modern history that caused damage in the state, according to New Jersey Office of Emergency Management records reviewed by NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY network.

These occurred on Dec. 19, 1737 (5.2 magnitude) in New York City, Nov. 29, 1783 (5.3) west of NYC and Aug. 10, 1884 (5.2) around Asbury, NJ.

Like in New York, most New Jersey quakes are small in magnitude, less than a 2.0 on the MM scale, and therefore go unnoticed. The largest this century before Friday was a 3.5 magnitude quake north of Milford, NJ.

Since the end of 2020, New Jersey has had:

• A 2.4 magnitude quake near Tuckerton in June 2021
• A 2.3 near Morris Plains on Aug. 30, 2022
• A 1.7 near Lake Telemark the same day
• A 2.3 near Harvey Cedars on Sept. 9, 2022.

Contributing: David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com