In an unexpected turn of events on Tuesday morning, a minor earthquake with a magnitude of 1.7 struck the Astoria neighborhood in Queens, causing buildings on Roosevelt Island, situated along the East River, to shake and experience temporary power loss.
The seismic activity was swiftly reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which recorded the earthquake around 5:45 a.m, as per to Fox News.
Minor Earthquake Jolts Roosevelt Island Residents
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: People walk and shop in a lower Manhattan shopping mall on September 13, 2023 in New York City. Newly released numbers by the Labor Department’s consumer price index show that August inflation came in higher than expected, rising 3.7% on a 12-month basis.
Residents on Roosevelt Island, including Renata De Oliveira, were startled awake by a loud thud that initially led them to believe there might have been an incident within their building. However, it was soon revealed that the source of the disturbance was a minor earthquake.
De Oliveira described her confusion, stating, "I was very confused because I was in such a deep sleep."
Following the commotion, residents gathered in their pajamas as the Fire Department arrived to assess the situation. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, power outages, or structural damage, as confirmed by Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesman for Con Edison.
Despite New York City not being commonly associated with seismic activity, Thomas Pratt, a research geophysicist with the USGS, clarified that the region experiences numerous small earthquakes each year, most of which go unnoticed. While a 1.7 magnitude earthquake is typically imperceptible to most people, Tuesday's event originated relatively close to the Earth's surface, approximately three miles underground.
New York City's history includes instances of earthquakes, with notable events in recent years, such as a 2.2 magnitude earthquake in May of the previous year and a 3.6 magnitude earthquake in Adams Center the month before that. The most substantial recorded earthquake in the city dates back to 1884 when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake rumbled beneath Coney Island, according to The New York Times.
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Columbia Prof Urges NYC to Stay Earthquake-Aware
John C. Mutter, a professor of earth and environmental studies at Columbia University, explained that while it is highly unlikely for the city to experience a large earthquake causing significant damage, residents should remain aware of earthquake safety measures. Mutter emphasized the unique architectural challenges in New York City, where facades can be fragile, and structures are not typically designed to withstand earthquakes.
Seismologists attribute the occasional earthquakes in the region to the settling of stress accumulated over hundreds of millions of years when the land that now constitutes New York was subject to continental collisions and significant seismic activity.
Residents on Roosevelt Island shared their experiences, with Maria Grant expressing fear, believing something in the building had exploded, and Rene Vasicek noting the seriousness of the situation as the ground shook. While low-intensity earthquakes are common and often go unnoticed, the shallow depth of the Astoria earthquake, approximately 5 kilometers underground, contributed to the unusual experience for New Yorkers.
Seismologist John Armbruster of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory highlighted the rarity of such events in the eastern United States and drew parallels to a similar incident in 2001. In both cases, emergency responders initially searched for potential explosions or plane crashes before considering the possibility of an earthquake. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either incident, CBS News reported.
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