6 Earthquakes That Caused The Most Damage In New York State

On Friday, April 5, 2024, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake was detected 7 km north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to USGS. The quake was felt in the New York City area. It is unknown yet if there is any significant damage from the earthquake.

While we often associate earthquakes with California and the West Coast, New York has had 6 significant quakes. Between 1737 and 2016 there were 550 earthquakes around the state. The Richter scale is used to measure an earthquake's magnitude,

Richter scale (ML), quantitative measure of an earthquake’s magnitude (size), devised in 1935 by American seismologists Charles F. Richter and Beno Gutenberg. The earthquake’s magnitude is determined using the logarithm of the amplitude (height) of the largest seismic wave calibrated to a scale by a seismograph.

The most powerful earthquake recorded in the history of the world was the Valdivia earthquake and tsunami, which took place on May 22, 1960. It reportedly registered between 9.4 and 9.6 on the Richter scale. The tsunamis caused by the quake affected multiple countries,

southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia, and the Aleutian Islands. The tremor caused localized tsunamis that severely battered the Chilean coast, with waves up to 25 metres (82 ft). The main tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii, where waves as high as 10.7 metres (35 ft) were recorded over 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) from the epicenter.

Anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 people died from the earthquake and tsunami. It caused between $3.5 billion to $7 billion (in today's money).

New York has had its fair share of damage from earthquakes. The most significant earthquakes that damaged homes and businesses are listed below.

4. On April 20, 1931, 4.7 magnitude earthquake centered near Lake George damaged some homes.

3. On April 20, 2002, northern New York experienced a significant earthquake, which caused damage to homes and infrastructure in the area,

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake on April 20, 2002 caused damaged chimneys, slumps of road embankments, and other minor damage in the Au Sable Forks area.

2. (3-Way Tie) On December 18, 1737, New York City had a 5.2 magnitude earthquake, which damaged some homes. Not much is known about this quake's epicenter.

2. (3-Way Tie) On August 10, 1884, New York City experienced another 5.2 magnitude earthquake. It caused damage to homes and businesses, including broken windows and damaged chimneys.

The shaking from this earthquake was felt as far west as Toledo, Ohio and as far east as Penobscot Bay, Maine. It was also reported felt by some in Baltimore, Maryland. The local magnitude of this earthquake has been set at 5.2.

2. (3-Way Tie) On August 12, 1929, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2, happened near Attica. It caused damage to homes and businesses,

In Attica many chimneys were thrown down, brick walls were cracked, and the aisles of stores were littered with goods thrown from the shelves. This earthquake was felt as far east as central New Hampshire and as far west as Cleveland, Ohio.

1. On September 5, 1944, New York experienced a 5.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter around the New York and Canadian border. Massena, New York, and Cornwall, Ontario suffered the most damage from this quake,

In Massena a school gymnasium suffered major damage, 90% of the chimneys were destroyed or damaged, and house foundations were cracked, windows were broken, and plumbing was damaged. Similar kinds of damage were reported at Cornwall, Ontario. This earthquake was felt from eastern Maine to central Michigan and to Maryland.

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