A relatively weak, 2.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Hillsdale in northern New Jersey on Tuesday at 12:11 p.m. ET, according to the US Geological Survey.
Dozens of people from Staten Island to southwest Connecticut have reported to the USGS they felt weak or light shaking.
The earthquake occurred roughly 8 miles below the surface of the Earth, according to the USGS. The shallow depth likely contributed to how many people felt at least some shaking, even though the quake itself was weak.
The unique characteristics of the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust and mantle in the eastern US also play a role in how far the most intense waves of seismic energy can travel, according to the USGS. Rocks here are much older, denser and harder — compressed by time — than they are in the West, according to the USGS. This makes them more efficient conduits of the seismic energy released by an earthquake, allowing it to travel in a more potent form over longer distances.
Hillsdale is about 25 miles northwest of Manhattan.
CNN’s Eric Zerkel contributed to this report.
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