Didn’t feel Friday’s quake? Here are the 5 biggest to ever hit NJ

Even if you live in Hunterdon County, you probably didn’t feel it.

An earthquake hit New Jersey on Friday, around 8:42 p.m. with its epicenter in Whitehouse Station. Media reports had it listed as a 2.3 or a 2.4, which is somewhat of a nothing burger when it comes to quakes. It was said to have been felt by only a few dozen people. Experts say anything under a 3.0 is barely felt and causes little to no damage.

New Jersey isn’t known for earthquakes the way California is. But we’ve had some larger ones.

Here are the five biggest earthquakes whose epicenters were located in the Garden State. Just a caveat, this is the best list I could put together from a variety of sources. What’s tricky is how you define biggest.

I’m going with strictly the Richter scale rating, and that it was an epicenter in New Jersey. Depending on the lay of the land and the depth of the quake, a smaller number could potentially be felt in a harsher way and over a wider area. Or a quake whose epicenter was outside of New Jersey may have been felt in a more widespread way.

That being said, these appear to be the five biggest in New Jersey history.

Read More: Minor earthquake hits Central NJ near Whitehouse Station

5️⃣ Aug. 26, 2003

Centered in Milford, New Jersey this earthquake hit at 2:24 p.m. and was a 3.8 on the Richter scale. It rattled dishes and nerves but no damage was reported.

4️⃣ Feb. 28, 1973

In the southwestern part of the state near Delaware and Pennsylvania borders was a 3.9 earthquake. This earthquake was felt from southwest Connecticut to the Washington, D.C. area. Reports of minor cracks in plaster and brick masonry of homes came from three states.

3️⃣ Aug. 23, 1938

A 4.8 earthquake struck with an epicenter just southeast of Trenton at 5:04 in the morning. The rude awakening caused furniture to move around in homes and glassware to be knocked off shelves. It was felt from Delaware to Jersey City.

2️⃣ April 5, 2024

The second-biggest earthquake in New Jersey is one you may remember feeling. Its epicenter was between Whitehouse Station and Tewksbury and it struck at 10:23 a.m. I remember it being jarring, feeling as though a large truck had hit my house. This was felt across the whole northeast from Virginia all the way to Maine. Buildings were damaged in New Jersey and beyond, water main breaks occurred in Essex and Morris counties.

1️⃣ Nov. 29, 1783

Centered at New Jersey Highlands, this was the largest known earthquake to ever hit the state. It registered a 5.3 on the Richter scale.

The earthquake caused Intensity VII damage on the Mercalli intensity scale. According to that scale, “Damage is negligible in buildings of good design and construction; but slight to moderate in well-built ordinary structures; damage is considerable in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys are broken. Noticed by motorists.”

It was felt over many states and stands to this day as the strongest quake to ever strike New Jersey. Let’s keep that record intact and not break it.