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The NYC area was rattled by an unusually strong 3.0 magnitude earthquake late Saturday, with minor tremors felt by residents on the Upper East Side and throughout the boroughs.
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The earthquake struck at 10:18 p.m., with the epicenter in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, about 8 miles west from Central Park, and buried about 10 kilometers below the earth’s crust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No injuries or damages were reported, but the condition was felt and reported by more than 8,000 people in NYC and northern New Jersey.
Even though these minor quakes are not likely to cause entire structures to be destroyed, earthquakes, even small ones, are quite rare in the Northeast. There was immediate social media clamor as New Yorkers were stringing notes and theories together.
“Did we just have an EARTHQUAKE? Building shook 5 mins ago,” said one person on Nextdoor from East 87th Street and Second Avenue.
“Yes I felt it vibrating steadily for a minute or so and heard steady noise,” said a resident of Lenox Hill. “I usually correlates things like this with the occasional steam plant release of steam first. Or just assume it is construction.”
Others were shocked yet amused. “I thought my upstairs neighbors dropped something really heavy,” said Michelle B., who lives on East 72nd Street. “But then my whole couch moved a little and I figured something weirder was going on.”
Henry T., who lives on East 94th and York, said he “felt a quick jolt while watching TV and saw a glass of water ripple, which was bizarre. It looked like that dinosaur scene in Jurassic Park.”
City officials added that they had noted no significant impacts but had observed the situation with their emergency management teams throughout the evening. Saturday’s event follows a 4.8 earthquake that shook the area in April, also originating in New Jersey.
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