From the Daily Record:
Minor earthquakes, including three in Morris County during a 15-day span, are relatively common in the northeastern United States but puzzle geologists because the nearest active fault line is hundreds of miles away under the Atlantic Ocean
“The cause of these earthquakes is really a big mystery because they really don’t fit in with the geologist image of plate tectonics,” said Catherine Riihimaki, a geologist who teaches at Drew University in Madison.
Riihimaki said that the 2.3-magnitude earthquake early this morning likely was the second of two aftershocks of the first Morris County quake Feb. 2. None of the earthquakes are believed to have caused any injury of property damage.
The first earthquake, with a 3.0 magnitude, was the largest of the three. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, N.Y., said it was recorded at 10:34 p.m. Feb. 2. It was felt the strongest in Rockaway, Dover, Randolph and Denville.
A 2.2 magnitude earthquake last Saturday was felt primarily in Montville.
The epicenter of this morning’s quake, recorded at 1:42 a.m., was just over a mile outside Dover and felt mostly by people in Denville and Randolph according to county office of emergency management coordinator Scott DiGiralomo.
Riihimaki said today there is no way of knowing whether today’s quake will be the final aftershock but added, “I don’t think there’s any reason to be concerned.”
She added that it is “very rare” for an earthquake in the Northeast to register above 4.0 — generally perceived as the minimum magnitude for causing actual damage.
More typically, earthquakes in the region are so minor that many people — as happened in each of the three Morris County quakes — report not even noticing what happened.
While the San Andreas Fault in California is an obvious hazard for a major earthquake, geologists have various theories about what could be causing comparatively tremors in regions that are distance from any active fault lines.
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