Philly rattled by 4.8-magnitude earthquake in New Jersey, USGS says

Folks all through the Philadelphia area felt their houses and workplace buildings rumble Friday morning as a result of an earthquake centered in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. The Hunterdon County group is about 60 miles north of Philly.

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, the U.S. Geological Survey stated. It occurred at 10:23 a.m.

Preliminary knowledge launched by USGC signifies the earthquake had a depth of 5 kilometers — about 3.1 miles — placing it within the shallow vary of such occasions. The Richter scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes places it on the higher finish of the “mild” vary, which causes “noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises” however doesn’t sometimes end in a lot injury, if any.

The earthquake was felt broadly in elements of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and Maryland, in accordance with a USGS map that makes use of suggestions from group studies.

The federal company continues to be amassing knowledge to find out extra precise measurements of the earthquake.

SEPTA stated the earthquake didn’t injury its transit system, or trigger any accidents to its riders and staff. All service is constant to function on a traditional schedule as SEPTA inspects its tunnels, bridges, energy amenities and different infrastructure.

PATCO suspended its service till crews can full an inspection of its system. There is no such thing as a timetable for service to be restored. 

Philadelphia police acknowledged that the division was conscious of the seismic exercise and requested individuals to keep away from calling 911 until that they had an emergency to report.

The largest earthquake to hit Philadelphia in current reminiscence was in 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude quake centered exterior Richmond, Virginia despatched tremors via town and was felt from Georgia to Canada. Extra just lately, a 4.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in 2017 at a coastal website alongside the Delaware Bay, about 53 miles south of Philly, and was broadly felt within the Mid-Atlantic area and the Northeast.

Examine again for updates on this growing story.