Current:Home > reviewsEast Coast earthquakes aren’t common, but they are felt by millions. Here’s what to know -MarketEdge
East Coast earthquakes aren’t common, but they are felt by millions. Here’s what to know
View
Date:2025-04-27 14:31:40
DALLAS (AP) — East Coast residents were jolted Friday by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, with weak rumblings felt as far away as Baltimore and the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. No life-threatening injuries or major damage have been reported.
Here’s what to know about earthquakes on the East Coast.
How often do New York City and the East Coast get earthquakes?
Earthquakes large enough to be felt by a lot of people are relatively uncommon on the East Coast. Since 1950 there have been about 20 quakes with a magnitude above 4.5, according to the United States Geological Survey. That’s compared with over 1,000 on the West Coast.
That said, East Coast quakes like the one experienced Friday do happen.
“There’s a history of similar-sized earthquakes in the New York region over the last few hundred years,” said Jessica Thompson Jobe from the USGS’ Earthquake Hazards Program.
When was the last big East Coast quake?
In 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake near Mineral, Virginia, shook East Coast residents over a wide swath from Georgia to Maine and even southeastern Canada. The USGS called it one of the most widely felt quakes in North American history.
The quake cost $200 to $300 million in property damages, including to the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
What’s the difference between East and West Coast quakes?
The West Coast lies on a boundary where sections of Earth’s crust rub together, causing stress and slippage along fault lines that generate earthquakes relatively often.
East Coast quakes like Friday’s are caused by compression over time of hard, brittle rock deep underground, according to Robert Thorson, an earth sciences professor at the University of Connecticut. “It’s like having a big block of ice in a vise and you are just slowly cranking up the vise,” he said. “Eventually, you’re going to get some crackling on it.”
These East Coast quakes can be harder to pinpoint. And they tend to affect a broader area. That’s because colder, harder East Coast rocks are better at spreading the rattling energy from an earthquake.
The distribution of cities across the East Coast also means that more people are around to experience the effects of a quake.
“We also have population centers over a large part of the northeast,” said Leslie Sonder, a geophysicist at Dartmouth College, “So a lot of people around here feel the earthquake.”
How do you stay safe during a quake?
USGS experts say there is a risk of aftershocks for weeks to months, which are expected after any earthquake. They recommend paying attention to emergency messaging from local officials.
To keep safe from shakes while sleeping, remove any furniture or objects that could fall and injure you or others.
If you feel shaking, drop where you are. Cover your head and neck with one arm, crawl under a table for shelter and hold on. If there’s no shelter nearby, grasp your head and neck with both hands until the shaking stops.
___
AP writer Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this report from Storrs, Connecticut.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (258)
Related
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Arizona man sentenced to natural life in prison for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive
- Gabby Douglas out of US Classic after one event. What happened and where she stands for nationals
- Slovak prime minister’s condition remains serious but prognosis positive after assassination bid
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- John Krasinski pays tribute to his mom in 'IF' with a 'perfect' Tina Turner dance number
- John Stamos Shares Never-Before-Seen Full House Reunion Photo With Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
- Kyle Richards Shares a Surprisingly Embarrassing Moment From Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- 3 killed in western New York after vehicle hit by Amtrak train
Ranking
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Q&A: Kevin Costner on unveiling his Western saga ‘Horizon’ at Cannes
- Rudy Giuliani served indictment in Arizona fake elector case
- Did you know Paul Skenes was an Air Force cadet? MLB phenom highlights academies' inconsistent policy
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- U.S. and Saudi Arabia near potentially historic security deal
- The video of Diddy assaulting Cassie is something you can’t unsee. It’s OK not to watch.
- Helicopter carrying Iran’s president suffers a ‘hard landing,’ state TV says, and rescue is underway
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Q&A: Kevin Costner on unveiling his Western saga ‘Horizon’ at Cannes
Simone Biles brings back (and lands) big twisting skills, a greater victory than any title
The Best Beach Towels on Amazon That’re Quick-Drying and Perfect To Soak up Some Vitamin Sea On
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Alice Stewart, CNN political commentator, dies at 58
Move over pickle ball. A new type of 'rez ball' for seniors is taking Indian Country by storm
Tyson Fury says split decision in favor of Oleksandr Usyk motivated by sympathy for Ukraine