Shallow M3.7 AFTERSHOCK struck on Friday Afternoon near Bridgewater in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 5th, 2024. Last updated May 4th, 2024.

Under land 8 miles from Bridgewater in The United States, a shallow MAG-3.7 aftershock occurred in the late afternoon of Friday April 5th, 2024. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 42 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Bridgewater in New Jersey. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 3 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 5, 2024 05:59PM (New York Time) - Apr 5, 2024 21:59 Universal Time.
Location:	8 mi NW of Bridgewater, New Jersey, The United States. Coordinates 40°41'24"N 74°44'47"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 3.7 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	3 mi (4 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 42 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 42 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 386,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 30 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
11,860,000	II	Very weak	None
30,070,000	III	Weak	Probably none
386,800	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 8 miles (13 km) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Bridgewater (New Jersey, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bridgewater is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: New York City is located 39 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Brooklyn is located 42 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Queens is located 48 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
8 mi (13 km) SE from epicenter	Bridgewater New Jersey, The United States.	IV Light
11 mi (17 km) E from epicenter	Basking Ridge New Jersey, The United States.	IV Light
13 mi (21 km) ESE from epicenter	Warren Township New Jersey, The United States.	IV Light
14 mi (22 km) NE from epicenter	Randolph New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
16 mi (25 km) ENE from epicenter	Morristown New Jersey, The United States.	IV Light
16 mi (26 km) SSE from epicenter	Hillsborough New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
17 mi (27 km) NE from epicenter	Dover New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
17 mi (28 km) ESE from epicenter	North Plainfield New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
18 mi (29 km) ESE from epicenter	Plainfield New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
19 mi (30 km) E from epicenter	Scotch Plains New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
19 mi (31 km) ESE from epicenter	South Plainfield New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
21 mi (33 km) NE from epicenter	Parsippany New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
21 mi (34 km) SE from epicenter	New Brunswick New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
21 mi (34 km) SE from epicenter	Edison New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
21 mi (34 km) E from epicenter	Westfield New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
22 mi (36 km) SE from epicenter	Piscataway New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
25 mi (40 km) SE from epicenter	East Brunswick New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
25 mi (41 km) E from epicenter	Union New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
25 mi (41 km) SE from epicenter	Sayreville New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
27 mi (43 km) E from epicenter	Irvington New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
27 mi (44 km) ENE from epicenter	West Orange New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
28 mi (45 km) E from epicenter	Elizabeth New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
28 mi (45 km) ESE from epicenter	Perth Amboy New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
29 mi (46 km) E from epicenter	East Orange New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
29 mi (47 km) NE from epicenter	Wayne New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
30 mi (49 km) E from epicenter	Newark New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
33 mi (53 km) S from epicenter	Trenton New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
33 mi (53 km) W from epicenter	Bethlehem Pennsylvania, The United States.	III Weak
33 mi (53 km) ENE from epicenter	Clifton New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
33 mi (53 km) ESE from epicenter	Staten Island New York, The United States.	III Weak
34 mi (55 km) ENE from epicenter	Paterson New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
35 mi (57 km) E from epicenter	Jersey City New Jersey, The United States.	III Weak
39 mi (62 km) E from epicenter	New York City New York, The United States.	III Weak
39 mi (62 km) E from epicenter	Sunset Park New York, The United States.	III Weak
39 mi (63 km) W from epicenter	Allentown Pennsylvania, The United States.	III Weak
40 mi (64 km) E from epicenter	Borough Park New York, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (67 km) E from epicenter	Brooklyn New York, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (67 km) E from epicenter	Manhattan New York, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (67 km) E from epicenter	Gravesend New York, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) E from epicenter	East Harlem New York, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) E from epicenter	East Flatbush New York, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) E from epicenter	Sheepshead Bay New York, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) E from epicenter	Harlem New York, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) E from epicenter	Astoria New York, The United States.	III Weak
44 mi (71 km) ENE from epicenter	Washington Heights New York, The United States.	III Weak
45 mi (73 km) E from epicenter	East New York New York, The United States.	III Weak
47 mi (76 km) ENE from epicenter	The Bronx New York, The United States.	III Weak
47 mi (76 km) ENE from epicenter	Yonkers New York, The United States.	III Weak
48 mi (77 km) E from epicenter	Queens New York, The United States.	III Weak
49 mi (79 km) E from epicenter	Jamaica New York, The United States.	III Weak
55 mi (89 km) SSW from epicenter	Philadelphia Pennsylvania, The United States.	II Weak
68 mi (109 km) ENE from epicenter	Stamford Connecticut, The United States.	III Weak
78 mi (125 km) SSW from epicenter	Wilmington Delaware, The United States.	II Weak
138 mi (222 km) SW from epicenter	Baltimore Maryland, The United States.	II Weak
149 mi (239 km) NE from epicenter	Springfield Massachusetts, The United States.	II Weak
173 mi (279 km) SW from epicenter	Washington Washington, D.C., The United States.
174 mi (280 km) ENE from epicenter	Coventry Rhode Island, The United States.
177 mi (285 km) SW from epicenter	Arlington Virginia, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in one place in Canada.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Chatham-Douglastown, New Brunswick, Canada: 2 people.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 4.8 earthquake struck 0.8 mi (1.3 km) west-northwest in advance of this 3.7 earthquake around 8 hrs earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock	M 4.8	Apr 5, 2024 10:23AM (New York Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.6	7 mins later Apr 5, 2024 10:29AM (New York Time)	0.6 mi (0.9 km) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock This Earthquake	M 3.7	8 hrs later Apr 5, 2024 05:59PM (New York Time)	0.8 mi (1.3 km) ESE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 3.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 3 mi (4 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 04/05/24 01:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.