Credit, Reuters
Photo caption,
Residents of the city reported feeling their buildings and houses shake
April 5, 2024
The city of New York, in the USA, was affected by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake this Friday (5/4). Millions of people on the country’s east coast felt the tremor, which also affected nearby cities such as Boston, Bathilmore and Philadelphia.
The epicenter was in the city of Lebanon, New Jersey, about 64 km from New York, according to the US Geological Survey (US geological monitoring center).
Residents of NY reported feeling buildings and houses shake and furniture sway during the earthquake.
There were reports of cracks in sidewalks and roads, but no widespread damage was reported and New York schools were instructed to operate normally.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said no fatal or life-threatening situations have been reported, but it is important for people to be prepared for possible aftershocks.
It is the most significant earthquake in the area in decades.
1. How frequent are earthquakes in NY?
The city is not known for having much seismic activity, but it actually experiences several “microearthquakes” every year, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
However, these tremors are so weak and occur at such a great depth that they go unnoticed by people. Only seismic sensors are capable of detecting them.
Since the first earthquake was recorded in the city in December 1737, the State of New York has had around 550 earthquakes with the epicenter within the State’s borders and has also recorded the effects of earthquakes centered in nearby states and even in Canada. .
This Friday’s earthquake drew attention precisely because it was much stronger than the tremors that usually hit the city.
Credit, Reuters
Photo caption,
On Friday afternoon, T-shirts for tourists with the phrase “I survived the earthquake in NY” were already being sold
2. Biggest tremor in 40 years
US seismic activity monitoring recorded a magnitude of 4.8 for the earthquake that hit the country’s east coast this Friday.
This is not a very strong earthquake – this magnitude is considered low on the scale that measures the strength of earthquakes.
However, the tremor was the strongest in the region in 40 years – the last one with a greater impact had been recorded in 1983, with a magnitude of 5.1, according to data from Nesec (emergency response consortium for eastern US states). USA).
The strongest earthquake centered in New York happened in September 1944, with a magnitude of 5.9. It caused extensive damage in the city of Massena and the city of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
3. Epicenter
The epicenter of an earthquake is the location on the surface directly above the focus of the tremor. The focus, in turn, is the location (underground) from which the seismic waves spread.
The epicenter is not necessarily the place where there is the greatest surface damage.
In this Friday’s earthquake, the epicenter was in the city of Lebanon, New Jersey, about 64 km from New York, according to the US Geological Survey (US geological monitoring center).
4. Flights and UN meeting interrupted
The unusually strong seismic event temporarily halted air traffic at major airports in the northeastern United States.
Flights have now resumed.
A meeting of the UN (United Nations) security council was underway when the tremor hit the city. The meeting was interrupted, but no one was on holiday and no damage was reported to the entity’s building.
5. No major damage or casualties
American authorities said the earthquake left no fatalities or major structural damage.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said no fatal or life-threatening situations have been reported, but it is important for people to be prepared for possible aftershocks.
President Joe Biden said he has contacted New Jersey’s governor about the seismic event and said “everything is under control.”
The USGS, the US geological service, is calculating the possibility of aftershocks and their eventual strength.
The USGS prediction model relies on thousands of pieces of data about previous earthquakes of similar size, using the past to help them predict the future.
The data is entered into a mathematical equation that is then interpreted by statistical seismologists – there are seven currently working with the USGS.
6. Felt by 42 million people
According to an estimate by the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was possibly felt by around 42 million people.
In addition to New York, the earthquake hit densely populated areas such as the cities of Boston and Philadelphia.
Areas more than 300 km away from the epicenter also felt tremors, but in a weaker manner – this encompasses a region ranging from Washington DC to the border with Canada.