April 5, 2024 By Meteorologist Michael Page
An earthquake in Northern New Jersey Friday morning rattled communities on the South Shore, hundreds of miles away from the epicenter.
The earthquake struck Northern New Jersey around 10:30 AM, and was initially reported as a M4.8 according to the United States Geological Survey.
While small earthquakes are common in New England, this is a significant and unusual magnitude for the East Coast. It was also quite shallow, which is why the quake was felt so far away.
Closer to the epicenter, around New York City, residents reported entire homes shaking. Here on the South Shore, those that noticed reported light shaking.
This earthquake brings back memories of the 2011 M5.8 earthquake which was widely felt across the Mid-Atlantic and Washington, DC.
In 2020, Hingham residents felt shaking from a M4.0 earthquake near Dartmouth, MA (link to that story: https://www.hinghamanchor.com/earthquake-strikes-on-south-coast-shaking-felt-in-hingham/)