Govind Tekale
A magnitude 3.0 earthquake hit northeastern New Jersey Saturday night, sending tremors through parts of the Tri-State area. The quake struck at 10:18 p.m. on August 2, with its epicenter in Hasbrouck Heights, near Teterboro Airport in Bergen County.
The tremor originated about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Many residents across northern New Jersey and New York City described hearing a sudden bang followed by brief shaking lasting just a few seconds.
“We both felt a sudden jolt and looked at each other and said, ‘was that an earthquake?'” said Bradford Billingsley from Harlem, who noticed his coffee table rattling while watching television with friends.
The shaking was felt across a wide area—reaching parts of Brooklyn, Connecticut, and as far south as Trenton. The Empire State Building even chimed in on social media platform X with a humorous “I AM FINE” post after the tremor.
USGS Analyst Xan Davidson explained that while earthquakes are relatively rare on the East Coast, a magnitude 3.0 isn’t considered significant. “We would not expect there to be a lot of damage from a three. It would just be shaking,” Davidson noted.
Similar Posts
The widespread feeling of such a small quake is due to how seismic waves travel efficiently through the eastern United States. While globally minor, these smaller quakes can be felt across larger areas in this region due to local geology.
This marks the second earthquake in New Jersey in less than two weeks, following several small quakes centered around Morris Plains on July 21-22. The largest in that series registered at 2.0 magnitude.
For context, last year’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake near Tewksbury, New Jersey on April 5, 2024, was significantly stronger—about 20 times more powerful than Saturday’s event. That quake was felt from Virginia to Maine and produced over 205 aftershocks in the months that followed.
No injuries or damage have been reported from the August 2 earthquake. Local officials, including New York City Emergency Management, advised residents to check for hazards such as shifted items or cracks after feeling the tremors.
The Ramapo Fault Zone, which runs through parts of New Jersey, is one of the active fault lines in the region. Since 1950, 43 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater have occurred within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of Hasbrouck Heights.
USGS continues to monitor the area for possible aftershocks, which can follow hours or days after the initial quake.
