Minor Earthquake Strikes (Or Maybe Taps) Parts of the Northeast
Reports are coming in that a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit parts of the East Coast Thursday evening.
The NY Times says the earthquake was centered about six miles northeast of Dover, Delaware. Initially the quake was reported as a 5.1 on the Richter Scale but was later downgraded by the United States Geological Service.
The USGS says that light tremors were felt as far north as New York and Connecticut and as far south as Virginia.
There were no reports of injuries or damage. One geophysicist even said about any resulting damage..."It would mostly be a few items knocked from shelves, cracks in plaster."
Parts of New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island felt the shaking. This resulted in a flurry of activity on social media, with many reporting that their houses shook for a brief moment. While it was nothing life threatening, it certainly was enough to startle residents especially in an area not used to earthquakes.
While earthquake are mostly a West Coast phenomenon, they can strike east of the Mississippi. CBS says that small earthquakes do occur pretty regularly in New Jersey near the Ramapo Fault Line, which runs from north-central New Jersey through western Pennsylvania.
This quake, however, struck seventy miles south of the fault line which is quite rare.