East Coast earthquakes are not common, but they are felt by millions. Here's what you should know

DALLAS (AP) — East Coast residents were rocked Friday by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered near Lebanon and New Jersey, with weak tremors felt as far away as Baltimore and the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. No life-threatening injuries or serious damage were reported.

Here's what to know about earthquakes on the East Coast.

How are earthquakes measured?

The Richter scale, developed by Charles F. Richter in the 1930s, is no longer widely used. According to the USGS, as more seismic stations were installed around the world to calculate earthquake magnitude, Richter's method was only valid for certain distance and frequency ranges.

Seismographs are instruments used to record the movement of the Earth. Intensities are measures of the size of an earthquake. They range from 2.5 or less, which is usually not felt, to 8.0 or higher, which can cause significant damage.

How often do New York City and the East Coast experience earthquakes?

Earthquakes large enough to be felt by many people are relatively uncommon on the East Coast. Since 1950, there have been about 20 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.5, according to the USGS. This compares to more than 1,000 on the West Coast.

However, East Coast earthquakes like the one on Friday do happen.

“There is a history of similar-sized earthquakes in the New York area over the past few hundred years,” said Jessica Thompson Jobe of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.

When was the last major earthquake on the East Coast?

In 2011, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake near Mineral, Virginia, shook East Coast residents over a wide area from Georgia to Maine to southeastern Canada. The US Geological Survey described it as one of the most widely felt earthquakes in North American history.

The earthquake cost $200 to $300 million in property damage, including the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

What is the difference between east and west coast earthquakes?

The West Coast lies on a boundary where parts of the Earth's crust rub against each other, causing stress and sliding along fault lines that generate earthquakes relatively often.

East Coast earthquakes, like Friday's quake, are caused by compression of hard, brittle rock deep in the Earth over time, according to Robert Thorson, a professor of geosciences at the University of Connecticut. “It's like having a big block of ice in a vise, and you're slowly moving the vise,” he said. “Eventually, you'll get some patter on it.”

These earthquakes can be difficult to identify on the East Coast. They tend to affect a wider area. This is because the East Coast's cooler, harder rocks are better at spreading the disturbing energy from an earthquake.

The distribution of cities across the East Coast also means there are more people to experience the effects of an earthquake.

“We also have population centers in much of the Northeast, so a lot of people here are feeling the quake,” said Leslie Sonder, a geophysicist at Dartmouth College.

How do you stay safe during an earthquake?

US Geological Survey experts say there is a risk of aftershocks for weeks to months, which are expected after any earthquake. They recommend heeding emergency messages from local officials.

To keep yourself safe from shaking while you sleep, remove any furniture or objects that could fall and hurt you or others.

If you feel shaky, get down. Cover your head and neck with one arm, crawl under the table to take cover and hold on. If there is no shelter nearby, hold your head and neck with both hands until the shaking stops.

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Associated Press writers John Rabe in Charleston, West Virginia, and Pat Eaton Rabe in Storrs, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Education Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.

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