AI Generated Image
Scientists Just Found a Hidden Fault Under New Jersey, And It Caused The 2024 Earthquake
Currently.com • • science
Key Points:
- A magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Tewksbury, New Jersey, in April 2024 has led scientists to identify a previously unknown fault, named the Mountainville Fault, located about 3.5 kilometers west of the epicenter.
- The well-known Ramapo Fault, initially suspected to have caused the quake, is misaligned with the tectonic stress regime and unlikely to have triggered the event.
- Researchers used a combination of aftershock seismic data, LiDAR topographic scans, and lab friction tests to characterize the Mountainville Fault as an immature basement-hosted fault with potential seismic hazard.
- The study suggests that stress concentration on smaller, lesser-known faults like Mountainville may pose significant earthquake risks, especially in intraplate regions such as the US East Coast.
- The findings highlight the need for further investigation of these structurally complex, immature faults to better understand and mitigate earthquake hazards in populated areas.
