(From Reuter's and CNN)

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Rare, minor quake hits New York City

January 17, 2001

Web posted at: 12:22 PM EST (1722 GMT)

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A rare, very minor earthquake was felt in New York City Wednesday, but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, recorded a preliminary measurement of 2.5 magnitude for the quake at 7.34 a.m. EST, centered in Manhattan.

The center's initial finding had the quake centered in Newark, New Jersey, about 10 miles west of New York City, but additional information led geophysicists to change the location.

"This was very minor," said geophysicist Don Blakeman, of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. "It may have been felt in some other areas but because it is so small, we would not expect any damage."

City officials said the quake was felt in the boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens and on Long Island. They said a few residents called the 911 emergency telephone line after feeling the quake, a rare occurrence in New York.

New York State generally is not considered a place for earthquakes, but at least three small quakes were recorded last year in the region of the state capital, Albany.

A study published last year by University of Buffalo geologists said the state is crisscrossed by hundreds of faults that have the potential to become active.

Blakeman said earthquakes in New York City were "infrequent but they do happen occasionally." He said the previous quake recorded in the same general area as Wednesday's was in 1992 with a 3.1 magnitude.

Copyright 2001 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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