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And Now: Your "NYC Is Due For An Earthquake" Reminder
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 17, 2011
Modified Aug 23, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 17, 2011
Modified Aug 23, 2011
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Here we go again! Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that just hit Japan, it's time to hold the natural disaster mirror up to our own city, and pontificate upon when exactly we'll finally see Lady Liberty's head hurtling towards our shores. (Or whatever Hollywood version of the apocalypse you prefer.) Recently we reminded ourselves that New York City can be hit by an earthquake at any moment, and now the Daily News talks to more seismologists about the inevitability.
John Armbruster at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory maintains we can expect an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 once a century. Lynn Skyes, at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, says on top of that we can expect a magnitude-6 quake every 670 years, and magnitude-7 every 3,400 years. In 1737 we were hit with a 5.2 and another in 1884.
There are fault lines in our metro area, including one at 125th Street; Skyes says, "each one is small, but when you add them up, they are probably more dangerous than we thought." On the website for the New York City Area Consortium for Earthquake Loss Mitigation, it states, "Considering population density and the condition of the region's infrastructure and building stock, it is clear that even a moderate earthquake would have considerable consequences in terms of public safety and economic impact."
We are currently in the "longest period we've gone without one." Here's a look at New York's earthquake timeline, and the largest that have hit closest to NYC.
UPDATE: On August 23rd, 2011... NYC had an earthquake! You can read our coverage here.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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