1783 New Jersey earthquake
1783 New Jersey earthquake is located in New Jersey
1783 New Jersey earthquake
New York
New York
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
UTC time1783-11-30 03:50
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateNovember 29, 1783
Magnitude5.3 Mfa[1]
Epicenter41°00′N 74°30′W / 41.0°N 74.5°W / 41.0; -74.5
Areas affectedNew Jersey
Max. intensityVII (Very strong)

The 1783 New Jersey earthquake that occurred on November 29 was the state's first recorded seismic event.[2] It is estimated that the earthquake was the largest and strongest that the state has ever recorded.[2] The quake measured an estimated magnitude of 5.3[3] on the Richter Scale.[4] Large earthquakes above 5.0 can potentially cause damage to larger, wider areas.[5]

Location

The earthquake is thought to have originated from within the New Jersey Highlands of the Reading Prong,[2] possibly on the 300 km long, 12 km wide Ramapo Fault zone, a structure formed during the Late Triassic during the break-up of Pangaea.[6] The mainshock was part of a sequence that occurred over a span of a several hours.[2] A brief foreshock occurred at 9:00 PM on November 29 (02:00 UTC on November 30), and an aftershock five hours later was reported only in New York City and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7] The main shaking was felt from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania.[8] There are reports and recordings in diaries that suggest that the earthquake was felt in neighbouring states.[6]

Damage

The earthquake caused intensity VII damage on the Mercalli intensity scale.[9] The overall destruction of the quake was not very serious.[2] The physical damages include dishes thrown off the shelves, people waking up from the shaking, and multiple damaged chimneys.[2] George Washington was sleeping at Fraunces Tavern when the earthquake struck, but he was not woken by the tremors.[10]

Reports

Reports show that the earthquake was felt in Philadelphia, New Haven, and Boston.[6]

Diary Reports

Diary entries regarding the earthquake were very brief.[6]

Diary Reports[6]
Diary AuthorRelevant Volume & PageRelevant DatesRelevant Passage
Jacob HiltzheimerVolume 1329 November 1783“29 [November] Sat[urday]. Clear. Mr. Philip Derheimer spend [sic] the evening at my home. At about twenty minutes after 10 o’clock at night I felt an Earthquake walking through the room upstairs by the Rattling of the Windows which lasted about a half a minute."
Cotton TuffN/A29 November 1783“Between 10 & 11 [pm] a small shock of an Earthquake”

Newspaper Reports

Many Contemporary newspapers reported on the earthquake.[6]

News Paper Reports [6]
Newspaper CompanyRelevant DatesRelevant Passage
Pennsylvania Packet2 December 1783“On Saturday night last, about a quarter after ten o’clock, a smart shock of an earthquake was felt in and about this city; and about one o’clock on Sunday morning another, less violent, was felt by many people in the city and suburbs. Most of the houses were very sensibly shaken so that in many the china and pewter, &c. were thrown off the shelves, and several persons were waked [sic] from their sleep. We hope that the country has sustained no damage by this convulsion of nature, which brings fresh to our memory the late calamities of Italy, &c, &c.”

References

  1. ↑ Stover & Coffman 1993, p. 306.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kuperinsky, Amy (September 9, 2020). "What was the biggest earthquake to shake N.J.? Freehold event was small by comparison". nj.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J. L. (1993), Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised) (PDF), U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, p. 306.
  4. ↑ Russo, Lou (November 16, 2017). "Did you know about New Jersey's November earthquake of 1783?". 94.3 The Point. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Section 5.5 Earthquake" (PDF). New Jersey (.gov). Retrieved January 10, 2024. p. 11.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kleeman, Katrin (September 10, 2018). "29 November 1783: The Night the US East Coast Was Awoken by 'a Small Shock of an Earthquake". Environmental History Now. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Historic Earthquakes: New Jersey 1783". USGS. July 16, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Damaging Earthquakes Felt in New Jersey". New Jersey Geological Survey. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  9. ↑ Dombroski Jr. R. David. "Earthquake Risk in New Jersey". New Jersey Geological Survey. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  10. ↑ Chernow, Ron (2010). Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-266-7.


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