Northern New Jersey experienced its second minor earthquake in less than four days, with a magnitude 2.7 tremor shaking the area on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. The event has left residents on edge, recalling the more significant seismic activity that has characterized the region in recent years.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Tuesday’s quake struck shortly after 12 p.m. ET, centered about 1.25 miles southwest of Hillsdale in Bergen County. The tremor occurred at a depth of approximately 7.7 miles. While no significant damage was reported, the shaking was noticeable. A CBS News New York reporter in nearby Ridgewood described the ground rumbling for about five seconds. The USGS stated it received around 290 reports from residents who felt the event.
This latest tremor follows a slightly stronger, magnitude 3.0 earthquake that occurred late Saturday night, August 2. That quake was centered in Hasbrouck Heights, also in Bergen County, at a depth of about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). The shaking from the Saturday event was more widely felt, with over 10,500 people submitting reports to the USGS’s “Did You Feel It?” survey. Tremors were reported up to 65 miles away, reaching into New York’s Lower Hudson Valley and parts of western Connecticut.
While these recent events have caused concern, they are not considered aftershocks of the much larger earthquake that struck the region in the spring of 2024. On April 5, 2024, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake centered near Tewksbury, N.J., was felt by an estimated 42 million people from Virginia to Maine. That event, the strongest to affect New Jersey since 1783, produced more than 200 aftershocks and served as a stark reminder of the region’s seismic potential.
Experts attribute this activity to the complex network of ancient faults beneath the surface. According to Steven Sobieszćzyk, a public affairs specialist for the USGS, the recent quakes were caused by faulting at shallow depths. Speaking to NorthJersey.com, he explained that while the area is not near a major tectonic plate boundary, these “intraplate” earthquakes can occur when ancient fault lines, like those in the Ramapo Fault zone, are reactivated. Geologists also note that seismic waves from East Coast earthquakes tend to travel farther and affect larger areas than quakes of a similar magnitude on the West Coast due to the region’s older and more rigid crustal structure.
According to data from Earthquake Track, there have been 19 earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 or greater in New Jersey over the past year, highlighting the consistent, though typically minor, seismic activity in the state. Officials have cautioned that aftershocks from the recent quakes are possible, though they are expected to be minor.
In the event of further shaking, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management advises residents to follow the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” protocol: drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy object like a table, and hold on until the shaking stops. Those in bed should stay there and protect their head with a pillow.
