04/07/2024
The Ramapo Fault Zone (🔴), the source of Friday's earthquake (✴️), is becoming a household name!
Let's get a little more familiar with it:
-Spans more than 185 miles across PA, NJ, and NY
-Initially blamed for the 1884 NYC quake (magnitude 5.2), but it wasn't the source
-The last period of heightened earthquake activity in it probably took place during the Triassic, 200 million years ago
-A 2008 study [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26361143] said a quake of magnitude 7 probably comes about every 3,400 years, but no one knows when the last one of that magnitude hit
-In the 330 years to 2008, the biggest NYC-area quakes that reached magnitude 5 occurred in 1737, 1783, and 1884
-The fault line crosses near the now-defunct Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, which was a source of concern
-Despite the rarity of strong earthquakes in this part of the country, when they do occur, the areas affected by them are, on average, ten times larger than western U.S. events of the same magnitude
-The cooler rocks in the Northeast U.S. contribute to the seismic energy propagating up to ten times further than in the warmer rocks of California
While Friday's event at least made the region more aware of its seismic risk, let's hope this fault doesn't unleash a magnitude 7 anytime soon!
