A 2.6 magnitude aftershock shook New Jersey on Wednesday morning in the latest of a nearly-month long string of tremors following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Hunterdon County in April.
The aftershock at 7:01 a.m. today was centered less than a mile north-northwest of Gladstone in Somerset County and brings the total to 159 aftershocks since the initial earthquake on April 5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 2.9 magnitude aftershock was recorded Saturday morning.
According to the USGS’s “Did You Feel It” reports, this morning’s earthquake was felt as far east as Elizabeth and Jersey City and as far north as Wayland, Massachusetts. It also was felt in Andover, Boonton, Carteret, Dover, Millburn, Mountain Lakes and Warren Township, according to reports submitted to the USGS.
The vast majority of the aftershocks have been below 2.0.
More quake-reading technology has been scattered across parts of New Jersey near the location of the initial earthquake, which has been updated by the USGS to have been centered in Tewksbury.
With the added tools, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and Rutgers University hope to pinpoint the source, strength and duration of recent aftershocks while better identifying where the first quake originated.
Researchers believe the initial quake happened near the Ramapo fault, which runs diagonally from southeastern New York State across northern New Jersey and into eastern Pennsylvania.
It’s been unclear, researchers say, whether the quake occurred directly along the main part of the fault or on one of the many fissures connected to it.
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NJ Advance Media staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
