A small earthquake rumbled through western New York today, alarming people in a region unaccustomed to such shaking but causing no significant damage.
A 3.8 magnitude quake was reported Monday morning by the US Geological Survey in West Seneca, a suburb east of Buffalo. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said it matched the intensity of the strongest quake the region has seen in 40 years of available records.
3.8 Magnitude – earthquake buffalo ny today
Thousands of people in the Buffalo, New York area felt an earthquake this morning that was the strongest quake in Western New York in more than 40 years. The quake hit near West Seneca, a suburb southeast of downtown Buffalo.
The 3.8 magnitude quake was detected by the US Geological Survey at 6:15 a.m. and it was centered about 1.24 miles northeast of West Seneca, according to the agency. It was a shallow quake that only lasted a few seconds.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said that the quake shook his home, but there was no damage. He added that he woke up and heard a “very quick” jolt.
While this was the strongest quake that has hit Western New York in decades, it’s still not a big one. It occurred on a fault that runs from Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties all the way down to Allegany County.
Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel says it is very normal for earthquakes to happen in Western New York, even on a relatively low magnitude. The region has had a number of earthquakes in the past, including a 4.8-magnitude quake that was recorded in 1929 near Attica, N.Y.
Altaweel also notes that the region is a very old crust and is cold, which makes it a good place for earthquakes to happen. It also allows for the efficiency of transferring seismic waves versus sedimentary areas, which is why some earthquakes can be felt in places that are normally quite remote.
Earthquakes in the western part of the state that are too small to cause damage to occur roughly three or four times per decade, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, although only one was reported during the 1940s and eight during the 1960s.
There are other minor quakes in the area, such as a 1.2-magnitude tremor that shook Le Roy, Genesee County, in August 2022. A 2.6-magnitude quake struck near Warsaw, Wyoming County, in March 2022 and a 2.4-magnitude temblor was felt in Tuscarora, southwestern Livingston County, in May 2021.
Despite its minor magnitude, this earthquake is likely to rattle a lot of people in the Buffalo area today. We’ll let you know if we hear any reports of damage from this earthquake, so stay tuned.
No Damage earthquake buffalo ny today
If you live in Western New York, you probably were rattled out of bed early this morning by a 3.8-magnitude earthquake. This quake was the strongest to hit the area in years, and while it may have been a little scary for those who were shaken, the earthquake did not cause any damage.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake hit around 6:15 a.m. and centered near West Seneca, New York. It was felt as far away as Hamilton, Canada, and Niagara Falls. Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) also noted on Twitter that the quake did not cause any major damage.
It was the first quake to hit the Buffalo region since a deadly winter storm that left 39 people dead in Erie County and the city of Buffalo buried under nearly 52 inches of snow last week. It was also the strongest to hit Buffalo in 40 years.
Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel told NBC News that the quake matched the intensity of the strongest one Western New York has seen in 40 years — a 3.8 quake that occurred in November 1999. It shook a home in the suburb of West Seneca and sent residents scrambling for answers, despite the fact that no serious damage was reported.
While a lot of people were confused by the quake, it turns out that Buffalo is on a series of fault lines. It isn’t uncommon for the area to experience a few earthquakes in a lifetime.
The city lies along the Claredon-Linden Fault System, which runs through Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, and Allegany counties in western New York. It is considered a significant fault line, according to the USGS.
As a result, the city is likely in a very active earthquake zone, with the region experiencing about two earthquakes per decade, according to the USGS. Most of these are too small to cause any damage, but if they do, it is usually minor.
This earthquake, which shook the Buffalo area this morning, is a reminder that we need to be aware of the earth’s tremors. The USGS said that earthquakes occur on a daily basis, but they are usually too small to be noticed by the general public. But when they are big, like the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria this morning, they can be felt by people all over the world.
No Injuries
The city of Buffalo, New York was rattled out of bed this morning, but the 3.8 earthquakes that occurred in the area did not cause any serious damage. The quake was reported by the US Geological Survey at 6:15 a.m., and it had its epicenter in the town of West Seneca.
Upon waking up, many people in western New York noticed their windows shaking. At first, they thought the tremor was a truck hitting their house, a water tank exploding, or a sonic boom. But after a quick look online, they realized that they were actually feeling an earthquake.
Residents in western New York aren’t used to earthquakes like this one, and they were shocked. But experts said Monday’s tremor was not out of the ordinary, and it shouldn’t cause any damage.
There are about 10,000 quakes this size around the world per year, according to the United States Geological Survey. Earthquakes of this magnitude are relatively rare in upstate New York, but they’re still felt a few times each decade. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said the quake was centered just east of Buffalo, and it matched the intensity of the strongest earthquake the region has experienced in 40 years of available records. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
It also shook parts of southern Ontario but was not strong enough to cause any damage. The quake’s epicenter was six kilometers (nine miles) east of Buffalo and about 97 kilometers east-southeast of Hamilton, Ont. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
The tremor came after two record-breaking weather events in the Buffalo area. A snowstorm dropped as much as 7 feet of snow in November and a blizzard was blamed for 47 deaths in December.
However, Mayor Byron Brown called it a relief that Buffalo’s quake appeared to have done no harm. The town is located on a significant fault line, and the quake reminded people that it’s not uncommon for tremors to strike. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
But an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada says the two occurrences are most likely unrelated. It’s possible the quake was triggered by early-morning rumblings in Turkey, but the 5,000 miles between the two countries make that unlikely. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
No Fear
Western New York residents woke up to a shaken world today after an earthquake hit the area. The quake shook houses across Buffalo and other parts of the state, according to the US Geological Survey. It was a powerful shock that is believed to have been the strongest quake in 40 years in the region. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
The quake was detected at 6:15 a.m. EST on Monday and originated near the suburb of West Seneca, about a mile east of Buffalo city. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel told the Associated Press that it was one of the strongest tremors in at least 40 years. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
But it’s not unusual for small quakes to occur in upstate New York. A 2.3 magnitude quake hit Hamburg residents in May 2020 and a 4.4 magnitude quake occurred along the Canadian border in Quebec in May 2013, both of which were felt on both sides. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
Earthquake seismologist John Cassidy of Natural Resources Canada says that most quakes in the region are small enough to be missed but there is always a chance they could cause damage. This Monday’s 3.8-magnitude tremor is a bit larger than usual and people in southern Ontario and northern New York state reported feeling it as strong, but short-duration shaking. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
Fortunately, no major damage was caused by the quake, and no injuries were reported. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the quake was felt as far north as Niagara Falls and south as Orchard Park in Buffalo. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
As the quake shook residents in Western New York, they took to social media to share their experiences. Some compared the shaker to snow falling from their roofs, while others wrote that they first thought the earthquake was a truck hitting their house or a water tank exploding. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
It was a frightening experience for many, but the fear was unfounded. Bruneau, the University at Buffalo’s structural engineer, said it is an intraplate earthquake — meaning that Western New York isn’t along a major fault line. Earthquake Buffalo ny Today
