By Corbin Carkner ’25
Earlier this spring, an Earthquake struck the U.S. East Coast and shocked many parts of New England. As many people know, there was a big rumble, and shake of the Earth. It, obviously, was an earthquake which startled millions of people. This shook the lives of everyone from New York and Philadelphia in skyscrapers to rural New England. Many people thought the earthquake caused a lot of damage. However, there was fortunately nothing to worry about. The earthquake actually started in New Jersey and worked its way around the East Coast. The U.S. Geological Survey said over 42 million people might have felt the midmorning quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.
Civilians from Baltimore to Boston and beyond felt the ground shake. Nearly 30 people were displaced when officials evacuated three multi-family homes in Newark, New Jersey, to check for damage. Workers around the region were inspecting bridges and other major infrastructure to make sure they were intact. Also, some flights were diverted or delayed. Anyone that wanted to fly into the main area it hit, like New York or New Jersey, had to suffer from serious flight delays that day. Amtrak slowed trains throughout the busy Northeast Corridor, and a Philadelphia-area commuter rail line suspended service as a precaution, as well. This caused lots of mishaps on that cold New England morning.
Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the U.S. because the East Coast does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates. Thirteen earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or stronger have been recorded since 1950 within 311 miles of Friday’s tremor, 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.
Earthquakes are not common in this corner of America, and therefore it was an unexpected occurrence for many Washington residents. Taking place during the Frederick Gunn School’s Revisit Day, it made this day memorable for more than just New Englanders, but for people from all over the United States, who had journeyed to Washington to visit our school.
