Earthquake? — Parts of NJ jolted awake by shaking

🔻 Earthquake jolts NJ residents awake early this morning

🔻 Quakes are not uncommon in NJ

🔻 A major fault line runs through parts of the Garden State

Homes shook and windows rattled in parts of North Jersey after an earthquake shook the ground across the Hudson River.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a small 2.2 magnitude quake happened just before 2 a.m. just North of Yonkers, New York, in Westchester County.

USGS/Townsquare Media illustration

It was felt in parts of Bergen County.

A thread on Reddit had several people reporting they felt or heard something but weren't quite sure what it was.

One poster called it a "massive boom in Northeast Bergen."

Others quickly chimed in with guesses to what it was.

"Transformer was first guess," a poster wrote, "My whole house shook, though."

"It was a very weird noise, another wrote, "I thought a tree fell outside. Whole house shook."

Others thought it may have been "some jet noise" or even "thunder."

No Damage

A 2.2 magnitude quake is very small and damage is rare. You typically won't see damage unless you get above 3.0, according to the USGS. 5.5 magnitude quakes can cause significant damage and/or casualties.

The strongest quake ever recorded in New Jersey was a 4.8 magnitude in 1938. The epicenter was just Southeast of Trenton and could be felt from Northern Delaware to Jersey City. No serious damage or injuries were reported.

NJ no stranger to the ground shaking

Earthquakes are not uncommon in New Jersey, particularly along the Ramapo Fault Line, which stretches for 185 miles from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and into New York State.

USGS/MIT

The first recorded earthquake in New Jersey was in 1783. Since that time, approximately 100 earthquakes have been recorded in the Garden State.

NESEC

The biggest recent quake was in 2020. A 3.1 magnitude trembler struck near Freehold. In 2015, a 2.5-magnitude quake was recorded.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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