TRENTON, N.J. – Authorities say a small earthquake struck an area of central New Jersey, rattling windows and alarming residents of several Morris County communities.
Won-Young Kim, a seismologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Obervatory in Palisades, N.Y., said an earthquake of magnitude 3.0 was recorded at 10:34 p.m. Monday, centered in the Morris County communities of Rockaway, Dover and Morris Plains.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and Kim said it was unlikely that a quake of that magnitude would be a damaging event. Quakes of magnitude 2.5 to 3 are the smallest that can generally be felt by people.
Police say the quake triggered a flood of 911 calls, with residents reporting a sound like an explosion and houses shaking.
Kim said small earthquakes are not unusual in that area of New Jersey.
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