No damage had been reported by late Sunday afternoon from the earthquake that rocked New Jersey and environs Saturday night, though aftershocks were still a possibility.
“No further impacts reported at this time,” NYCEM spokesperson Aries Dela Cruz told the Daily News in an email Sunday.
The magnitude 3 quake, generally considered to be a minor, “low-energy event” that would not be extremely noticeable or cause extensive damage, rumbled about 6 miles underfoot at 10:17 p.m.
The U.S. Geological Survey, posting on X shortly after 11 p.m., nevertheless deemed it a “notable quake.”
The epicenter was at or slightly northeast of Hasbrouck Heights, just east of Passaic, in Bergen County, a bit under 13 miles from Midtown Manhattan, according to USGS and NYC Emergency Management.
“Tremors may have been felt in parts of New York City,” the agency tweeted. “NYC Emergency Management is monitoring for impacts and coordinating with agency partners.”
New York City officials on Sunday said they had not received any calls about earthquake-related issues for any of the city’s more than one million buildings. NYCEM said there were no reports of damages or injuries, yet warned Big Apple residents to be on alert.
“Be prepared for possible aftershocks,” the agency tweeted. “These may follow minutes, hours or even days after the initial quake.”
NYCEM went on to reassure residents.
“No immediate protective action is needed unless you experience damage,” the agency said. “If you feel shaking, check for hazards such as shifted items, falling debris or cracks.”
While the earth-shifting event jolted some parts of the metro area, it wasn’t felt at all in others.
One woman, who lives 20 miles north of Midtown, replied to the NYCEM tweet, “I am in Mamaroneck, NY, and felt the rumbling and heard the LOUD sound it made! Ran outside to my back deck!!”
“Felt it in the Bronx,” tweeted a woman from the Boogie Down on the USGS quake post.
But a Kings County resident shrugged, “I didn’t feel anything in Brooklyn.”
Planet Earth has been a bit feisty lately. On July 21 a predawn 1.6-magnitude quake jolted some Garden State residents awake in Morris County, New Jersey at 5:40 a.m. That was just 3 miles underground and also barely noticeable, but five aftershocks followed over the next couple of days. The fourth one came in at 2.0 magnitude, higher than the initial quake.
New Jersey is known for lying on the Ramapo Fault Line, but the U.S. Geological Survey said neither quake was related to it. In addition, New York City and its surroundings sit in the middle of a tectonic plate, while the nearest plate boundaries are far away, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Just five days ago, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded, erupted off the eastern coast of Russia, triggering fears that devastating tsunamis could slam Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. As of Thursday, though, the tsunami fears had started to fade.
With News Wire Services
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