USGS reflects on the New Jersey earthquake, and how animals might have sensed it early on

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — While officials say the epicenter of Friday's 4.8-magnitude earthquake was in New Jersey, the U.S. Geological Survey says it could be felt from Virginia to Maine.

“In terms of size, it's not a very large earthquake,” Dara Goldberg, a research geophysicist at the USGS, told Action News. “But in terms of the impact, how it's being felt, and the intensity felt by people in the area, I would say it's fairly moderate.”

Read more: A 4.0 magnitude aftershock rocks the Philadelphia area after a previous earthquake in New Jersey

This is the largest earthquake within 100 miles of this area since at least 1950, Goldberg said.

“Unlike California, the geology under the East Coast of the United States is different. It's colder. It's harder. So it allows seismic waves to propagate much more efficiently,” Goldberg explained.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hits New Jersey, and shaking is felt throughout the Northeast including the Philadelphia area

That's why the quake was felt in many states along the East Coast, she said.

“We have received more than 140,000 reports from citizen scientists telling us about their experience feeling the earthquake, and they felt it from Virginia all the way to Maine.”

Goldberg also explained, “With smaller earthquakes like this, if you're very close to the earthquake, the duration of the shaking will be very short, like a few seconds. The farther away you get, the less intense the shaking will be because the seismic waves kind of spread out.”

Can animals sense the rattle first?

More than 50 miles south of the epicenter, Action News spoke with Samantha and Spencer Eckstein as they walked their dog, Gus, in Haddonfield. They said Gus alerted them when the earthquake happened.

Action News viewers from across the region share their reactions to the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Northeast Friday morning.

“He was like barking and started rattling,” Samantha said. “He usually barks when he has to go to the bathroom, but you could tell he was saying, 'What's going on?'

Action News asked Goldberg if animals can sense an earthquake coming?

“The fastest seismic wave that travels, it's called the 'P' wave, or the primary wave, and it's really small in size. Generally, people don't feel it,” she explained. “We generally don't feel the earthquake until the 'S' wave arrives, which is the secondary wave, which travels slower. Therefore, we think animals are more sensitive to the primary 'P' wave which is too small for us to feel it.”

Goldberg added that all earthquakes are part of sequences, which means there are generally smaller aftershocks.

“These aftershocks tend to subside fairly quickly,” she said. “So, within about a week or two, it will decrease in volume and frequency.”

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