USGS has confirmed that two relatively weak earthquakes struck New Jersey yesterday in northern New Jersey, confirming what many people had reported on social media. USGS received more than 5 dozen reports of shaking from the stronger of two earthquakes which struck Morris County.

The first earthquake, a magnitude 2.3 event, struck at 5:14 pm at a depth of 5 kilometers near White Meadow Lake.  According to a USGS, an aftershock from that initial earthquake struck nearby at 6:37 pm at a depth of 5 km. The aftershock was rated a magnitude 1.7 event.

 

While many people reported shaking, there were no confirmed reports of any damage.

Earthquakes, albeit weak ones, do strike the Garden State from time to time. A much more substantial earthquake struck Freehold, New Jersey in September 2020. That quake, a magnitude 3.1 event, rattled a larger portion of New Jersey and generated shaking reports within the New York City metro area.