On Friday, New York felt tremors of a mild earthquake with magnitude 4.8, with an epicenter in the New Jersey. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the news on X for public information. However, there is no news about any damage or injury as of now.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 4.8 – 7 km N of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey https://t.co/DuTYZ1kb4X
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024
UN Security Council Meeting Interrupted
During that hour when the earthquake was felt, the UN Security Council meeting was undergoing in New York regarding Gaza. The tremors briefly paused the meeting and had everyone’s attention.
Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of ‘Save the Children’ was addressing the gathering at the moment. The tremors made her pause and enquired whether it was an earthquake.
#BREAKING: “You’re making the ground shake!” UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/1F8TZBHKKu
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) April 5, 2024
The UN has posted a video, capturing Janti Soeripto pausing in between the meeting. There was humor in the air Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN envoy, remarked humorously, “You’re making the ground shake!”
Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, confirmed that there was an earthquake in the state of New York. However, she asserted that the team was en route to the affected sights and they would keep updating the public about the recent developments.
Earthquake in New York: A Rare Occurrence
New York is far away from the tectonic plates’ edges, unlike the California and the East Coast which are the West Coast areas.
According to the New York Times, New York is built on the land where millions of years ago, several continents crashed and there were large earthquakes. The fault lines of the New York area have become inactive over time, however, they occasionally stress out due to which small earthquakes like these occur.
As per John Mutter, Professor of Earth and EVS Studies at Columbia University, small earthquakes like these occur when stresses of those old times try to settle down.
