QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Whitehouse Station, NJ

No earthquake was likely felt in Whitehouse Station in the 24 hours to 5:25 am EST (10:25 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 12 km (8 mi) NNE, at 1:30 pm EDT on 19 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 105 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Whitehouse Station

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Whitehouse Station, NJ, at 1:45 am EDT on 7 April 2024 (05:45 UTC), 5.4 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NNE of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

68 km (42 mi) W of New York, NY · 28 km (17 mi) W of Plainfield, NJ

1:45 am EDT, Apr 7, 2024 · · 5.4 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Somerset County 15 kmHunterdon County 18 kmMorris County 27 kmWarren County 31 kmUnion County 37 kmMiddlesex County 38 kmMercer County 42 kmEssex County 44 kmBucks County 48 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:45 am EDT on 7 April 2024 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Whitehouse Station, NJ · earthquakes near Whitehouse Station
New Jersey today
every earthquake in New Jersey in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.4 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Somerset County, 15 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 882 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Whitehouse Station, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Gladstone 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2024-04-05 — about 45,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 40.6622, -74.7417. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Somerset County, NJ 15 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near Somerset County
Hunterdon County, NJ 18 km (11 mi) SW earthquakes near Hunterdon County
Morris County, NJ 27 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Morris County
Warren County, NJ 31 km (19 mi) NW earthquakes near Warren County
Union County, NJ 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Union County
Middlesex County, NJ 38 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Middlesex County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

60 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 4 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  2. 2.0 3 km SE of Randolph, New Jersey
  3. 1.6 3 km SSE of Randolph, New Jersey
  4. 1.5 6 km NE of Lebanon, New Jersey
  5. 1.9 5 km W of Bedminster, New Jersey
  6. 1.7 5 km E of Califon, New Jersey
  7. 1.8 7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
  8. 1.5 4 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  9. 1.6 6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  10. 1.6 7 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  11. 1.6 6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  12. 1.9 6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  13. 1.5 6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey
  14. 1.6 4 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
  15. 1.6 5 km W of Bedminster, New Jersey

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.