Earthquake in Morris County!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

On February 2nd, 2009, at about 10:34 p.m. a 3.0 earthquake occurred which startled many residents. Some thought their furnace had blown up or a truck or plane crashed. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the tremendous force that appeared throughout northern New Jersey was an earthquake. Kevin Meyer said, “The whole house went up, and there was a loud boom.” Won-Young Kim, A senior scientist with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory said the average depth of a quake would be five or six miles. The shallowness of the quake resulted in more shaking, causing more people to feel it. Many people reported hearing an explosion or a large crash. In a couple of towns, residents went to talk to neighbors about what they heard and felt. Earthquakes occur a few times a year in New Jersey but most are not even noticed. They are common in the state’s northwest corner because there are more active faults in the area. The last earthquake reported in the state, was a magnitude of 2.1 which happened in Hunterdon in July. The largest on was in 1884 with a magnitude of 5.5 which toppled church and yanked homes from their foundations. Scientists believe a 5.5- magnitude earthquake could happen every 120 years and a 7.0-magnitude quake every 3,400 years. I believe that this earthquake opened people’s eyes. We now know that even in New Jersey we are not safe from earthquakes. They could happen anywhere at anytime. I found this article at http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/it_sounded_like_an_explosion.html