A second earthquake with a magnitude of 4.0 was felt in New York; see the USGS’s prediction for aftershocks

New Delhi: On Friday, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) struck New York City and New Jersey, causing an unpleasant surprise for the two major American cities.

These two cities are not used to frequent earthquakes, in contrast to nations like Japan, so the news of an earthquake has been unsettling, to say the least, even if there have been no reports of fatalities or serious injuries. A second earthquake, with an epicentre in New Jersey and a stated magnitude of 4.0, was felt in New York eight hours after the first one. The following is information from the US Geological Survey on potential aftershocks that the cities may encounter in the next month and beyond.

Second New York City Earthquake
As previously reported, eight hours after the 5.5-magnitude earthquake that struck New York and New Jersey, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake, or rather an aftershock, struck NYC. There have also been no significant damages from the second earthquake. There was an aftershock just now in New Jersey. The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, tweeted on X, “Please heed the emergency advice below and refrain from calling 911 unless you really have an emergency. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York State, confirmed the same in a post on X. “There was just an aftershock of magnitude 4.0 from the earthquake that struck New Jersey this morning. There have been no reports of major damage as of yet, and we are still reviewing vital infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.

According to reports, the aftershock’s epicentre was located 7.4 miles northwest of Bridgewater in Somerset County, barely beyond the county boundary. It would not have been felt by many since the aftershock was far deeper than the original earthquake, measuring around 5.6 miles deep, according to NBC New York. Interestingly, it was the second aftershock to be recorded. Prior to this, at around 11:20 am, the USGS in Bedminster, New Jersey, recorded a considerably smaller aftershock of magnitude 2.0.

USGS Predicts Aftershocks of New York Earthquake
In reference to the United States Geological Survey’s aftershock projection for the country, particularly for New York City and New Jersey, consider this. According to a Times Now report citing the USGS, there is a 38 percent possibility of at least 10 aftershocks with an approximate magnitude of 3.0 occurring in the previously impacted region in the next week. Additionally, there is a 1% possibility of a 5.01 magnitude earthquake (aftershock) and an 8% chance of a 4.0 magnitude aftershock. Times Now reports that the USGS has estimated that there is a 46% likelihood of a 3.0 aftershock occurring within the next month.