earthquake

Magnitude-2.3 Earthquake Hits Morris County in NJ

A magnitude-2.3 earthquake struck parts of northern New Jersey Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The small quake hit around 5:14 p.m., and lasted about 30 seconds, according to a USGS official. The entire event likely passed in less than a minute and struck less than three miles west of Morris Plains, in Morris County, and was about three miles below ground.

The earthquake is very likely connected to the Ramapo Fault Line, which runs southwest to northeast through Morristown and is considered an active fault line, a geophysicist with the agency told NBC New York.

Geophysicist Jonathan Tytell said that Tuesday's quake is the largest since 2015, when a magnitude-2.6 earthquake hit near Mendham, just a few miles away from Tuesday's event.

While not a very powerful quake, Tytell said that it is strong enough for people in the area to clearly feel.

"If you’ve living on top of the quake, it will feel like a truck just hit your house," Tytell said.

An even smaller 1.7-magnitude quake was recorded just after 6:30 p.m. in the same area, likely an aftershock or something similar.

While there were several reports from people on social media who said they felt something, there was no damage reported.

Contact Us