Earthquake Felt In Belleville-Nutley; Here’s What Caused It, Scientists Say

NOTE: A separate earthquake took place on Tuesday, Aug. 5 in North Jersey. Read our update here.

BELLEVILLE-NUTLEY, NJ — An earthquake took place in North Jersey last weekend, with rumbling felt through the region – including in Belleville and Nutley.

The 3.0 magnitude earthquake took place on Saturday night, and was centered in Hasbrouck Heights, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Read More: Earthquake Rattles Northern New Jersey And New York City

What caused it? According to the USGS, the earthquake was the results of faulting at shallow depths in the Earth’s crust.

“Although this event did not occur near a plate boundary, such ‘intraplate’ earthquakes can and do occur,” the USGS stated. “While this earthquake is relatively small globally, earthquakes of this magnitude are commonly widely felt in the eastern United States because of efficient seismic wave propagation in the region.”

“Weak” and “light” impacts were felt across North Jersey on Saturday night, including Belleville and Nutley, where a total of 40 people lodged reports with the USGS.

“Belleville, yes – that was an earthquake,” town councilman Frank Velez reported. “It’s now been confirmed that a magnitude 3.0 earthquake has struck nearby Hasbrouck Heights.”

“Just had [an] earthquake here [in] Nutley,” a local resident commented on social media. “Thought something hit the house.”

Other comments about the quake from Belleville and Nutley included:

• “Did anyone feel the earthquake we just had in Northern NJ? We are in Nutley. Very scary!”
• “Did anyone in Belleville just feel that earthquake!”
• “I think there was an earthquake in Nutley NJ.”
• “I felt an earthquake a little while ago [in Belleville]. I see other people posting about it. Jersey earthquake!”

Residents of other nearby towns in Essex County also reported feeling the quake. As seen online:

• “We just experienced an earthquake about 15 minutes ago in Montclair NJ, if I'm not mistaken. Never felt or heard anything like it. A loud thump bouncing the earth, then a rumbling but not like thunder. Almost like the biggest truck in the world hitting a pothole.”
• “Caldwell, NJ my house shook.”
• “Yep, I felt it too. Looks like we just had a 3.0 magnitude earthquake, #bloomfieldnj”
• “We just had an earthquake [in Newark], y’all.”
• “We had an earthquake here in New Jersey … felt it in Cedar Grove, West Orange … Praying.”
• “Anyone else in Cedar Grove just feel their house shake? So weird!”
• “Earthquake in Verona … The place groaned and shook. Even my cats picked their heads up and looked around.”

The USGS reported that 43 other earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and larger have occurred since 1950 within 250 kilometers of last weekend’s earthquake.

Over that time period, the largest was located near Tewksbury in April 2024, which reached a 4.8 magnitude. That earthquake was widely felt across the northeastern United States, the USGS said.

• See Related: Earthquake Shakes Up Nutley: No Damage Or Injuries, Authorities Say

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