2.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes New Jersey Saturday: USGS

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — A 2.9-magnitude earthquake rattled Somerset County early Saturday morning, one of almost 100 small temblors to hit the state since April 5's 4.8 earthquake and one of seven over the weekend.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck around 4:50 a.m. about 7 km west-southwest of Gladstone.

The aftershocks come three weeks after a 4.8 magnitude quake rattled the tri-state area. The USGS said more than 42 million people might have felt the initial quake, centered about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.

Between April 5 and 10, there were 47 aftershocks in New Jersey. Since then, there have been 52.

Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the United States 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 April 5'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.

Did you feel Saturday morning's aftershock? A few reports came in from the Hudson Valley and Long Island. If you did, report it to the USGS for tracking purposes. Here's the felt report: