2.4 Magnitude Earthquake Recorded In Ocean County (UPDATE)

TUCKERTON – A 2.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded in New Jersey on Wednesday, and the effects of it were felt elsewhere the area.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7:52 a.m. quake was at a depth of 5.0 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, centered in Tuckerton in Ocean County.

There were no damages or injuries reported and there were was no need for additional resources, police said.

"Earthquakes and tornadoes pretty much come without any warning at all so I just steer everybody as we always do to prepare your family for all hazards and all emergencies to ready.nj.gov," said Col. Pat Callahan, superintendent of the State Police.

According to the USGS website, more than 70 responses were logged saying the earthquake had been felt (see map below).

Here is where it happened (the orange star) and here is where it was felt – blue indicates that the tremors could be felt, but they were likely weak.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did not report any tsunami activity off the East Coast.

Did you feel the earthquake? Tell us in the comments!

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

It's among the biggest to impact New Jersey since a 3.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Freehold last fall, and the effects of that were felt across the state.

A 3.0 earthquake in April 2019, which hit Long Island, could also be felt across the state. It's also among the biggest since a 5.8 earthquake in 2011 was felt up and down the East Coast, and caused damage to hundreds of homes and structures.

Earthquakes happen when there is movement below the Earth's surface on fault lines. They can occur anywhere in the US and usually last less than a minute, according to FEMA.

Also recently in the Mid-Atlantic region, two small earthquakes rumbled the Goochland, Va., area on Nov. 9, 2018, the same region where the 5.8 earthquake in August 2011 originated and caused damage the Washington Monument in Washington DC.

The 5.8-magnitude quake felt by New Jersey on August 23, 2011 alarmed millions along the East Coast. "Tens of millions of people all over the East Coast and southeastern Canada suddenly felt the earth shaking from the largest earthquake in that area since the M5.8 earthquake in 1944 near Cornwall and Massena, New York," the USGS said.

When the Earth stopped shaking, more than 148,000 people reported their experience of the earthquake on the Did You Feel It? website, representing an area occupied by one-third of the U.S. population.

That quake also damaged the National Cathedral and the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington DC, as well as caused minor to major damage to almost 600 residential properties.