Janice R. Andrews
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck New Jersey on Saturday morning, with the epicenter at Gladstone in Somerset County, about 50 miles from New York City, according to the US Geological Survey at 9:49 a.m.
According to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, no infrastructure damage has been reported thus far.
This seismic activity followed a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred just three weeks earlier and was felt throughout New York City. While the last episode did not result in structural damage or injuries, it did cause temporary interruptions in traffic and evacuations in Newark.
Seismologists had previously warned about the possibility of aftershocks, and the USGS has recorded at least 50 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 3.8 since the April 5 earthquake.
Jessica Thompson Jobe, a USGS research geologist, noted that, while there are no active fault lines in the area, older inactive ones from millions of years ago may resurface on occasion due to current tectonic plate movements.
