Rare Earthquake Strikes New Jersey and Shakes Buildings Across New York and Philadelphia

Early Wednesday morning, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck East Freehold, New Jersey, the Geological Survey reported.

Several reports of shaking have been reported across the state and as far as in New York City, Long Island, and Philadelphia.

According to the USGS, the earthquake hit just before 2 a.m. and was centered 1.25 miles southeast of the center of East Freehold.

Earthquakes on the east coast are far less common than on the west coast, but they tend to be felt over a wide-ranging area when they hit.

Robert Sanders, a geophysicist with the survey, said the magnitude of this event is uncommon and that since 1970 there have only been two other quakes within ten miles of this location. One with a 3.5 magnitude in 1979 and one with a 3.1 magnitude in 1992.

On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit central Virginia, shaking buildings in New Jersey. It was one of the most massive recorded eastern U.S. earthquakes.