A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey was felt across the region this morning - including northern Delaware.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirms the quake occurred at 10:23 a.m. – the epicenter was just north of Whitehouse Station, near Lebanon, New Jersey.
Residents in Newark, Wilmington, and Middletown report seeing and feeling their homes shake. Delaware Geological Survey director David Wunsch says people as far south as Baltimore and as far north as Hartford, Connecticut reported feeling it.
“This was a surprise," he says. "It’s one of the larger earthquakes to occur in this region in the last couple of decades.”
Delaware last felt an earthquake in November 2017, a 4.1 magnitude quake centered about six miles northeast of Dover.
“And that raised a lot of eyebrows as well because they’re not that common here," Wunsch says. "On the East Coast, they tend to be more random earthquakes. We don’t have a lot of active faults, geologic faults, that you typically associate with earthquakes.”
The 2017 earthquake did not produce any reported damage, and DEMA spokesperson John Peterson says there were no damage reports Friday either. He adds DelDOT will be assessing any major bridges in the area as a precaution.
Wunsch adds a 2.0 magnitude aftershock was reported less than an hour after the main shock, confirmed by USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scientist Sara McBride.
“We have recorded at least two aftershocks related to this earthquake in the last few hours," McBride says.
By around 1:30 p.m., USGS reported five aftershocks ranging from a 1.8 to 2.2 magnitude.
McBride adds their aftershock forecast shows a three percent chance of an aftershock with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater in the next week. And they estimate up to 27, 3.0 magnitude aftershocks could occur in the next week as well.
McBride notes they typically only release aftershock forecasts for earthquakes with a 5.0 magnitude or greater, but Friday's quake was widely felt and has generated a lot of public inquiry.
"This earthquake was widely felt, and we know this because we have received more than 160,000 felt reports on our website," McBride says. "This may be a new record."
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
