A small earthquake struck New York City Tuesday morning, shaking buildings on Roosevelt Island in the East River and leading to power outages.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 1.7 earthquake that struck Astoria, Queens around 5:45 a.m. Residents of Roosevelt Island were shaken, with residents reporting hearing a loud explosion, according to local reports.
The FDNY said it responded to reports of “building shaking” and “an explosion” on the island southwest of Astoria. fox 5 new york.
Officials said the calls came from the island as well as Manhattan's Upper East Side and Astoria.
Fox 5 NY captured aerial photos this morning showing several emergency response vehicles on the island. A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck New York City, with residents of Roosevelt Island in the East River reporting hearing loud explosions and buildings shaking. (Fox 5 New York)
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There were no confirmed explosions, and the USGS said no injuries or damage were reported from the earthquake. New York City Mayor Eric Adams' administration blamed the reported explosion on an earthquake.
“At about 5:45, all of a sudden, I felt my bed move, the building moved, and a very loud noise,” resident Georgette Sinclair told FOX 5 NY. “I woke up and thought there was an earthquake.”
There were no reports of damage or injuries, according to the city's official emergency notification system. The mayor's office said the earthquake did not affect the stability of the structure.
A map showing the area of Astoria, Queens, where Tuesday's earthquake occurred. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck the neighborhood around 5:45 a.m. (U.S. Geological Survey)
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Two buildings immediately south of the Roosevelt Island Bridge and the tram suffered power outages, with elevators down, ABC7 reported, citing residents.
Fox 5 NY captured aerial photos this morning showing several emergency response vehicles on the island.
While earthquakes on the West Coast make headlines for their strength and damage, they also pose a threat to the East Coast, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones told FOX 5 NY.
“An earthquake is an earthquake no matter what.” [where] It happens,” Jones said.
View of the East River, Manhattan on the left and Roosevelt Island on the right. (Education Images/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
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“The fact that earthquakes are unpredictable is a big part of what makes them so scary. We're more afraid of something we don't know when it's going to happen.”
According to the USGS, the earthquake rate in the northeastern United States is about 50 to 200 times lower than in California.
Additionally, eastern North America has older rocks, some of which were formed hundreds of millions of years earlier than those in the west, according to the USGS. Because these older formations are exposed to extreme pressures and temperatures, they are often harder and denser than formations found in the West.
