TEWKSBURY TWP., Nj. - The United States Geological Survey said the epicenter of Friday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake was in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
It was actually the 2nd earthquake with an epicenter in the area in less than a month, but the one last month, on March 14th, was only a magnitude 2.2. Friday's was much stronger, and one woman we spoke with tells us it caused quite a bit of damage in her house.
"Well, some things have fallen," said Ilaria Borghase, as she entered her house for the very first time after the quake with our camera rolling. "Be careful, there's broken glass everywhere."
Pictures were knocked off the wall, and family heirlooms were shattered on the floor.
"It was a beautiful ceramic plaque that was in my family for a long time," said Borghase.
Video sent to us by other homeowners in Tewksbury Township show how strong the shaking was when the earthquake hit at 10:23 in the morning. Those vibrations damaged another priceless heirloom in Borghase's house.
Friday's quake was a 4.8 magnitude quake centered in eastern Hunterdon County in Tewksbury Township. That lies about 40 miles east of Allentown, and about 65 miles east of Reading. The quake was strong enough not only to be felt throughout Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, but it was felt throughout the Northeast US from Maine to Washington DC.
"The chest door fell off. This was my grandmother's," said Borghase.
The damage continued as we walked upstairs.
"Oh my gosh, all the paintings fell off the wall. Oh God," said Borghase.
It was the tour of her home she never wanted to give.
"You feel so insignificant when things like this happen," said Borghase.
East Coast earthquakes, while not as strong as most on the West Coast, are often more widely felt over a larger area. That's because the ground on the East Coast is made up of rock that is older and more dense than out west, and the vibrations travel more readily through the dense rock here. Friday's earthquake wasn't that far behind the strongest ones on record in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, both measuring a 5.2 on the Richter Scale. Pennsylvania's was more recent, in the late 1990's, but centered out along the Ohio border in western parts of the state. New Jersey's strongest quake was almost 200 years ago.
As we walked, Borghase took periodic breaks as more, smaller quakes hit the house.
"Did you feel the aftershock? Isn't that crazy?" said Borghase.
The good news is, aside from damaged heirlooms, Hunterdon County Public Safety Director Brayden Fahey said they avoided more serious problems.
"We have no reports of injuries. We have no reports of damage to public infrastructure," said Fahey.
Damage, but not disaster, from the quake in Tewksbury Township.
"I'm sure you'll just keep finding more and more things that have broken, but thank goodness everybody's okay, and the animals are okay, which is really important to me," said Borghase.
Hunterdon County said it will be putting a tool on its website where people can report any damage they experienced.
The New Jersey Water Supply Authority also inspected the Round Valley and Spruce Run dams and determined they did not suffer any damage.
