Dozens Of Aftershocks Shake NJ After Friday's 4.8 Quake

NEW JERSEY — Aftershocks continued to rattle New Jersey on Saturday after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the tri-state area Friday morning.

According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, 29 aftershocks had been recorded just 24 hours after the initial quake hit near Lebanon. More are likely to follow, USGS officials said.

"According to our forecast, there is a 1% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5, which can be damaging, within the next week," the USGS said, adding the area could record up to 10 aftershocks in the next week that measure at a magnitude 3 or higher.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, aftershocks had been recorded at the following times and locations:

Saturday

• 8:16 a.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located southwest of Gladstone.
• 6:46 a.m.: Magnitude 2.5 located west-southwest of Gladstone.
• 4:18 a.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located east of Califon.
• 4:09 a.m.: Magnitude 1.7 located east-southeast of Califon.
• 3:11 a.m.: Magnitude 1.7 located west-southwest of Bedminster.
• 1:07 a.m.: Magnitude 1.7 located southwest of Gladstone.

Friday

• 8:51 p.m.: Magnitude 1.5 located west-southwest of Gladstone.
• 8:39 p.m.: Magnitude 1.8 located west of Bedminster.
• 7:39 p.m.: Magnitude 1.5 located northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 7:10 p.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located southwest of Bedminster.
• 6:16 p.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located west-southwest of Bedminster.
• 5:59 p.m.: Magnitude 3.8 located southwest of Gladstone.
• 4:21 p.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located east-northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 4:13 p.m.: Magnitude 2.0 located north-northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 3:58 p.m.: Magnitude 1.7 located northwest of Bridgewater.
• 2:40 p.m.: Magnitude 1.8 located east-southeast of Califon.
• 1:32 p.m. Magnitude 2.2 located northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 1:21 p.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located east of Califon.
• 1:18 p.m.:Magnitude 2.0 located south-southwest of Chester.
• 1:14 p.m.: Magnitude 2.0 located south of Chester.
• 12:49 p.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located north-northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 12:31 p.m.: Magnitude 1.8 located west of Bedminster.
• 11:49 a.m.: Magnitude 2.0 located south-southeast of Long Valley.
• 11:37 a.m.: Magnitude 1.8 located east-southeast of Califon.
• 11:33 a.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located east-southeast of Califon.
• 11:27 a.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located north-northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 11:20 a.m.: Magnitude 2.0 located north-northeast of Whitehouse Station.
• 11:o9 a.m.: Magnitude 1.9 located north of Whitehouse Station.
• 10:29 a.m.: Magnitude 2.6 located west-southwest of Gladstone.

According to the USGS, there is a 46 percent chance the Garden State could experience an aftershock measuring 3.0 or more in the next week. There's a 16 percent chance it could reach 4.0 and a 3 percent chance of hitting 5.0.

The U.S. Geological Survey said more than 42 million people might have felt the initial quake Friday, centered about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.

People from Baltimore to Boston and beyond felt the ground shake. Nearly 30 people were displaced when officials evacuated three multifamily homes in Newark, New Jersey, to check for damage.

Officials around the region were inspecting bridges and other major infrastructure, some flights were diverted or delayed, Amtrak slowed trains throughout the busy Northeast Corridor, and a Philadelphia-area commuter rail line suspended service as a precaution.

Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the U.S. because the East Coast does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates. But 13 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or stronger have been recorded since 1950 within 311 miles of Friday's temblor, the USGS said. The strongest was a 5.8-magnitude quake in Mineral, Virginia, on Aug. 23, 2011, that jolted people from Georgia to Canada.

Rocks under the East Coast are better than their western counterparts at spreading earthquake energy across long distances, scientists note.

“If we had the same magnitude quake in California, it probably wouldn’t be felt nearly as far away,” said USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.