Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Chester, NJ
No earthquake was likely felt in Chester in the 24 hours to 4:53 am EST (09:53 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 7 km (5 mi) SSW, at 1:30 pm EDT on 19 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 105 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.9
Latest: 3:50 am EDT on 24 May 2024 · 9 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Chester was M 2.9, 9 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ, at 3:50 am EDT on 24 May 2024, 7 km deep. 997 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Chester was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 33 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Chester since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Chester in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 1 · since 2016, about one every 1 months
- Last 12 months
- 5 · largest M 2.4 on 30 January 2026
- Since 2016
- 105 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.8 on 5 April 2024, 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ
- Reported felt
- 97 of them have felt reports to USGS
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- New Jersey earthquakes today — every one in the state in the last 24 hours
- Earthquakes in New Jersey — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Chester, NJ
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Chester, NJ. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 1.6 13 km (8 mi) ENE of Chester, NJ
- 1.8 7 km (5 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 105
- 1.5 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 5
- 2.4 13 km (8 mi) S of Chester, NJ · felt by 224
- 1.8 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 158
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 19
- 2.0 13 km (8 mi) ENE of Chester, NJ · felt by 92
- 1.6 12 km (8 mi) ENE of Chester, NJ · felt by 61
- 1.5 14 km (9 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 13
- 1.9 12 km (8 mi) S of Chester, NJ · felt by 8
- 1.7 10 km (6 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 15
- 1.8 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 17
- 1.5 12 km (8 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 2
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 14
- 1.6 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 12
- 1.6 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 6
- 1.9 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 16
- 1.5 12 km (8 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ
- 1.6 9 km (6 mi) S of Chester, NJ · felt by 14
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) S of Chester, NJ · felt by 15
- 1.9 9 km (6 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 16
- 1.7 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 5
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 13
- 1.7 11 km (7 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 14
- 2.1 10 km (6 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 190
- 1.5 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 1
- 1.9 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 37
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 3
- 1.7 12 km (8 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 4
- 1.5 11 km (7 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 11
- 1.6 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 4
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 34
- 1.5 12 km (8 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 1
- 2.9 9 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 997
- 1.6 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 30
- 1.5 9 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 2
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 10
- 1.7 10 km (6 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 5
- 1.9 12 km (8 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 17
- 1.7 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ
- 1.7 8 km (5 mi) SSE of Chester, NJ · felt by 35
- 2.6 6 km (4 mi) SSE of Chester, NJ · felt by 701
- 1.8 12 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 42
- 1.5 8 km (5 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 3
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 1
- 2.9 11 km (7 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 1,080
- 1.6 8 km (5 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 6
- 1.5 10 km (6 mi) S of Chester, NJ · felt by 7
- 2.1 9 km (5 mi) SSW of Chester, NJ · felt by 58
- 1.5 10 km (6 mi) SW of Chester, NJ · felt by 4
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Chester time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Chester are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Chester, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Chester; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Chester
The strongest shaking in Chester from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity V (moderate), from the M 4.8 on 5 April 2024, 11 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Chester (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.8 | 11 km | V · Moderate · felt by 184,673 | |
| M 3.7 | 11 km | IV · Light · felt by 12,579 | |
| M 2.9 | 9 km | III · Weak · felt by 997 | |
| M 2.9 | 11 km | III · Weak · felt by 1,080 | |
| M 2.6 | 6 km | III · Weak · felt by 701 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Chester.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearby towns
Gladstone 7 km
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.