Uncommon Earthquake Jolts Queens and Roosevelt Island in Rare NYC Event
Residents of Queens were startled by an unusual earthquake that struck New York City on Tuesday morning, adding a rare seismic event to the city’s experience.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 1.7 earthquake, with its epicenter in the Astoria neighborhood, shaking Queens at approximately 5:45 a.m. The quake had a depth of 5 km, and while there were no reports of injuries or significant damage, it did cause some disturbances on Roosevelt Island, situated in the East River between Manhattan and Queens.
According to residents near the Roosevelt Island Bridge and Tram, a few buildings experienced power outages in the aftermath of the earthquake, as reported to New York ABC station WABC.
Despite these localized issues, New York City officials assured the public that all systems were functioning normally by 11:30 a.m. One resident shared their experience, noting disrupted elevators and a sense of confusion, but city agencies, including DOB, FDNY, NYPD, 311, MTA, Con Ed, and National Grid, reported no injuries, transit disruptions, utility problems, or structural stability concerns at the time, according to NYC Emergency Management.
Earthquakes are infrequent in New York City, with the last notable event being a 2.2 magnitude quake in Westchester County just north of the city in May of the previous year. Notably, the Queens quake was not the sole seismic occurrence on the East Coast that Tuesday morning.
At around 1 a.m., a 2.3-magnitude earthquake rattled Rockville, Maryland, just northwest of Washington, D.C., with a depth of approximately 15.3 km, as reported by the USGS. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or damages in connection with this event.
