RAPID: Post-seismic survey of the April 5, 2024 Mw4.8 New Jersey Earthquake

On Friday, April 5, 2024, at 10:23 AM, a MW4.8 earthquake occurred near Tewksbury, New Jersey. It was the largest earthquake known to occur within 50 miles of New York City since 1884. The earthquake caused shaking throughout the NY metropolitan region and a record number of felt reports, but surprisingly little damage. This project will support a rapid response to this earthquake that includes 1) continued operation of a temporary seismic array to monitor aftershocks, 2) geologic fieldwork in the epicenter region, 3) dissemination and preliminary analysis of data collected, and 4) public outreach and education. Understanding why seismicity is spatially associated with this fault is a critical and urgent question for a realistic assessment of the hazard in the densely populated region. The project will analyze the more than 132 recorded aftershocks from this event. This new data has also the potential to help in understanding the nature of intra-plate earthquakes more generally. The aftershock survey also provides the opportunity for students and postdocs at Lamont to participate in seismological and geological fieldwork, and the analysis of seismic data using advanced methods for earthquake detection and location to image active faults. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.