Earthquake rattles New York Tuesday morning, USGS says

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck near Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake occurred at approximately 9:17 a.m. on March 10, with its epicenter about 7.4 kilometers beneath the surface, the USGS reported.

Sleepy Hollow is located roughly 30 miles north of New York City.

Do earthquakes happen in New York?

Although not common, earthquakes do occur in New York State. They typically happen along the boundaries of the Earth’s tectonic plates or along active and dormant fault lines.

The East Coast of the United States contains many ancient fault systems, including the Ramapo Fault, which runs through southeastern New York and extends into eastern Pennsylvania. Geological formations such as the Appalachian Mountains also reflect ancient seismic activity in the region.

These faults can accumulate tectonic stress for long periods—sometimes hundreds of thousands to millions of years—before releasing energy in the form of earthquakes.

Largest earthquakes recorded in New York

The largest recorded earthquake in New York occurred on September 5, 1944, with its epicenter near Massena in St. Lawrence County. The magnitude 5.8 earthquake was felt across a wide area, from Canada to Maryland and from Indiana to Maine. It caused an estimated $2 million in damage in Massena and in nearby Cornwall, Canada.

Another notable event occurred on May 17, 2003, when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake centered about 45 miles northwest of Ottawa, Canada, was felt throughout upstate New York.

Recent earthquakes in New York

Earlier this year, the Adirondack region of New York experienced several minor earthquakes:

• A magnitude 2.0 quake struck Keeseville on February 16.
• A magnitude 1.5 quake was reported in Tupper Lake on January 29.
• A day earlier, on January 28, a magnitude 1.8 earthquake occurred near Lyons Falls, according to the USGS.

No major damage has been reported from these recent tremors.