the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Gladstone NJ, a minor earthquake struck Somerset County early Friday morning, though officials confirm no damage was reported.
The first widely-used method, the Richter scale, was developed by Charles F. Richter in 1934. It used a formula based on the amplitude of the largest wave recorded on a specific type of seismometer and the distance between the earthquake and the seismometer. That scale was specific to California earthquakes and crust; other scales, based on wave amplitudes and total earthquake duration, were developed for use in other situations and they were designed to be consistent with Richter’s scale.
Earthquake Details
📍 Location: 7 km from Gladstone, NJ
📏 Magnitude: 1.8
📅 Date & Time: Friday at 8:23 a.m.
📉 Depth: 8 km
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was relatively weak, with minimal shaking reported by residents.
Experts Weigh In
Rutgers-Newark geologist Alexander Gates noted that while this was a small seismic event, it could be an aftershock from the larger 4.8-magnitude earthquake that rattled New Jersey in April 2024.
“After larger quakes, there is bound to be settling of the various faults as the ground shifts until a new equilibrium is reached,” Gates explained.
Recent Earthquake Activity in New Jersey
While major earthquakes are rare in New Jersey, minor tremors have been recorded in recent months:
- April 5, 2024 – A 4.8-magnitude earthquake centered in Tewksbury shook the tri-state area.
- January 2025 – A 2.4-magnitude quake hit north of Paramus, impacting parts of North Jersey.
Is New Jersey at Risk for More Earthquakes?
Most faults in the Earth’s crust don’t move for a long time. But in some cases, the rock on either side of a fault slowly deforms over time due to tectonic forces. Earthquakes are usually caused when underground rock suddenly breaks and there is rapid motion along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. During and after the earthquake, the plates or blocks of rock start moving—and they continue to move until they get stuck again. The spot underground where the rock first breaks is called the focus, or hypocenter of the earthquake. The place right above the focus (at the ground surface) is called the epicenter of the earthquake.
Although the Garden State is not known for frequent earthquakes, minor seismic activity is not uncommon. Experts suggest that aftershocks from previous quakes could continue as the earth’s crust stabilizes.
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