Earthquake that rocked NYC was caused by little-known 185-mile fault line in New Jersey, experts say

Deep in the ground in northwestern New Jersey is a stretch of a 180-mile-long fault line that triggered the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that rocked New York City on Friday, experts told DailyMail .com.

The ‘epicenter’ is on the Ramapo Fault, the longest system of faults in the Northeast, which formed 400 million years ago – much older than California’s 28-million-year-old San Andreas.

But the rupture also caused a small earthquake near the epicenter last month.

The system stretches from New York State, through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania – and experts have long believed it has the potential to cause a major seismic event.

Kenneth Miller, a professor at Rutgers University, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the Ramapo fault was “certainly the cause of Friday’s earthquake,” while there is no indication that a magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake would have been devastating in the north East.

While Friday’s earthquake was “mild,” another that struck Taiwan on Wednesday was fatal. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake caused massive landslides, toppled buildings and killed at least nine people while injuring more than 900.

While Friday’s earthquake was “mild,” another that struck Taiwan on Wednesday was fatal.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake caused massive landslides, toppled buildings and killed at least nine people, while injuring more than 900.

“A magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake is possible (for New Jersey), but seems very unlikely,” Miller said, while laying out the Ramapo Fault line does not produce anything above a magnitude 3 on average.

However, the system is caused a rare inland-related seismic event that is responsible for less than 10 percent of the natural disasters that strike our planet each year.

An intraplate earthquake occurs within the tectonic plate, while most other strikes occur at the tectonic plate boundary.

“The earthquake was rated by the United States Geological Survey as a 4.7 or 4.8, which is enough to rattle the walls but generally not cause serious damage,” Miller said.

The system stretches from New York state, through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania – and experts have long believed it has the potential to cause a major seismic event.

“The earthquake occurred on the Ramapo Boundary Fault, at an estimated depth of 7.00 kilometers, with an epicenter near Lebanon.”

A fault line is a place where there is a long break in the rock that forms the Earth’s surface and where earthquakes are more likely to occur.

Dr. J Bret Bennington of Long Island’s Hofstra University also named the Ramapo Fault as the culprit.

“It’s possible that a little bit of that strain energy was released along that fault and we had a mild earthquake,” Bennington shared in a video shared to TikTok.

The earthquake was New Jersey’s strongest since 1738, when locals experienced a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale.

Taiwan (pictured) is a country particularly prone to earthquakes because it is close to the convergence of two tectonic plates: the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

The last significant earthquake in New Jersey was a magnitude 2.3 on August 30, 2022, in the White Meadow Lake section of Rockaway Township in Morris County, also along the Ramapo Fault.

But Hunterdon County felt a smaller magnitude of 2.2 last month on March 15, 4 miles northeast of Whitehouse Station.

A study from Michigan Tech University found that people typically do not feel earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or less.

Those from 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt, but cause only minor damage.

And buildings and other structures can take damage if a 5.5 to 6.0 hits.

“New Jersey’s building codes are not designed for real earthquakes,” Miller said.

“Any tall building can withstand a 6-magintidue, but a 7 would be a problem.”

Miller explained that the Ramapo Fault formed when continents first began to push together hundreds of millions of years ago.

“(The system) was reactivated 200 million years ago, causing about six kilometers of movement,” he explained.

‘It then stopped about 198 million years ago when the Atlantic Ocean formed.

The fault connection continued with activity, but has since slowed to small movements.

Miller said a small magnitude 2 aftershock was felt in Bedminster around noon ET — and that more could follow that “nobody will notice.”