2.2-magnitude tremor shakes Highlands

A small earthquake struck about 4 miles below the Highlands at 6:14 a.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 7). More than 280 people reported the quake to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at earthquake.usgs.gov.

The origin of the earthquake that occurred on Feb. 7, according to reports to the USGS.

The 2.2-magnitude quake was centered near Crofts Corners, according to the Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network, which helps track the many quakes that occur below the surface each day. Most are recorded by highly sensitive instruments but not noticed at ground level.

The last “micro earthquake” to be felt in the Highlands occurred at 10:46 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, 2014, off Route 403 in Garrison. It measured 2.4-magnitude and also occurred about 4 miles underground. One Cold Spring resident described it at the time as feeling and sounding like a large truck rumbling by.

Other earthquakes reported Feb. 7

Hawthorne, Nevada, 3.0
Anthony, Kansas, 4.6
Aguanga, California, 2.7
Isabela, Puerto Rico, 3.5

Source: earthquake.usgs.gov

According to the USGS, “moderately damaging” earthquakes strike the New York-Philadelphia-Wilmington corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt every two to three years.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.

7 replies on “Yes, That Was an Earthquake”

  1. I heard a loud, deep “BOOM” at 6:14 this morning. Does anyone know specifically what that was?

    1. For what it’s worth, after the 2014 tremor, Jerry Nappi, manager of Nuclear Communications at Indian Point Energy Center said:

      “Indian Point is capable of withstanding an earthquake more than 10,000 times stronger than the one experienced last weekend … Indian Point conducted a seismic analysis completed last year [2013] that demonstrates the plant is safe from the strongest earthquake that can expect to occur at this location. We utilize information from seismic researchers to understand what type of seismic events can occur and then compare that to the equipment, components, and structures at Indian Point to ensure that we are protected from the strongest earthquake that could occur.”

  2. People tend to believe nuclear power stations are much more fragile than they actually are. An engineer friend of mine who was instrumental in the design of the Shearon Harris plant in North Carolina (I believe one the last ones built in the U.S.) described to me that the reactor and sensitive buildings around it have so much rebar and support built into it that you could crash a 747 into it and it would sustain little damage.

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