An early morning earthquake rattled portions of northern New Jersey today. According to USGS, at 5:40 am near the town of Morris Plains, a weak magnitude 1.6 event struck from a depth of 5 km. Located just southwest of Parsippany and Paterson and due west of Newark Liberty International Airport, today’s earthquake does not appear related to the ongoing earthquake sequence that began in April 2024.
The unrelated dramatic New Jersey earthquake sequence began with a 4.8 magnitude event on Friday, April 5, 2024 and produced dozens of noticeable earthquakes in just the first week. There were a total of 53 earthquakes measured from April 5 through to April 12 with hundreds since.
Beyond the magnitude 4.8 earthquake, there were moderate aftershocks too. According to USGS, 3.7 magnitude event struck near Bedminster just before 6 pm on April 5, with 10 other earthquakes measuring as a 2.0 or greater magnitude event.
Beyond rattling nerves, the earthquake also damaged the contents of homes and businesses. In Berkeley Heights, Union County, New Jersey, the Berkeley Heights Fire Department reported that the foundation of a home there failed and that the primary earthquake on April 5 was a contributing factor. A Brooklyn middle school gym was deemed unsafe after a Department of Buildings inspection found cracks inside; the rest of the school at 370 Fountain Avenue was determined to be safe. Dozens of gas and water leaks were reported in the region, leaving people without utilities like power or water.
With the early morning earthquake today, even with the epicenter in a different location of northern New Jersey, it wasn’t very noticeable. More than 30 people in New Jersey reported to USGS that they felt or heard the earthquake.
According to USGS, earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by people, but once they exceed 2.0 , more and more people can feel them. While damage is possible with magnitude 3.0 events or greater, significant damage and casualties usually don’t occur until the magnitude of a seismic event rises to a 5.5 or greater rated event.
