02-04-2009, 01:28 AM
An earthquake in New Jersey sparked panic and triggered a flood of phone calls to the emergency services.
Last Updated: 1:41PM GMT 03 Feb 2009
Authorities in Trenton, the state capital, said that the small earthquake struck central New Jersey. It rattled windows and alarmed residents of several communities.
Won-Young Kim, a seismologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, said that a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.0 was recorded at 10.34 pm on Monday.
Its epicentre was in the Morris County communities of Rockaway, Dover and Morris Plains.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but the quake was of sufficient size to spread concern among local people.
Police said that the quake triggered a flood of emergency calls, with residents reporting a sound like an explosion and houses shaking.
Earthquakes of the magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are the smallest that can generally be felt by people.
Mr Kim said that despite the reports of panic among members of the public, small earthquakes are not unusual in the central New Jersey.
According to the United States Geological Survey the strongest earthquake recorded in New Jersey was of 5.3 magnitude.
Quakes usually need to be of a higher magnitude to cause major damage but this depends on factors such as the depth of the epicentre and whether or not it occurs in a built up area with a high population density.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...panic.html
Last Updated: 1:41PM GMT 03 Feb 2009
Authorities in Trenton, the state capital, said that the small earthquake struck central New Jersey. It rattled windows and alarmed residents of several communities.
Won-Young Kim, a seismologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, said that a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.0 was recorded at 10.34 pm on Monday.
Its epicentre was in the Morris County communities of Rockaway, Dover and Morris Plains.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but the quake was of sufficient size to spread concern among local people.
Police said that the quake triggered a flood of emergency calls, with residents reporting a sound like an explosion and houses shaking.
Earthquakes of the magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are the smallest that can generally be felt by people.
Mr Kim said that despite the reports of panic among members of the public, small earthquakes are not unusual in the central New Jersey.
According to the United States Geological Survey the strongest earthquake recorded in New Jersey was of 5.3 magnitude.
Quakes usually need to be of a higher magnitude to cause major damage but this depends on factors such as the depth of the epicentre and whether or not it occurs in a built up area with a high population density.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...panic.html