According to radio traffic, the Jersey City Fire Department is responding to several reports of damage to buildings following an earthquake that shook Jersey City today.
It did not appear that any of the reported damage was confirmed to be earthquake related.
The 4.8 magnitude quake hit a 10:23 a.m. and was centered in Lebanon, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was reportedly felt by people from Philadelphia to Connecticut.
Posting to the website Nextdoor.com, Carol Nissen in Jersey City asked “Did we just have an earthquake??? 10:23 am I am on the Hilltop Pots were rattling and the window was shaking??”
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake is capable of causing damage to buildings. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “There is not one magnitude above which damage will occur. It depends on other variables, such as the distance from the earthquake, what type of soil you are on, building construction, etc. That being said, damage does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above 4 or 5.”