After earthquakes centered in New Jersey rattled parts the New York metropolitan area twice in less than two weeks, a seismologist says it’s unlikely a sign of things to come. 

A 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck over the weekend in Bergen County on Saturday, 12 days after seismometers picked up a 1.6 magnitude quake further west in Morris County. 

The most recent earthquake’s epicenter was in Hasbrouck Heights, but there were reports of shaking across the Hudson River in Upper Manhattan, New York’s Lower Hudson Valley and even into western Connecticut.

There were no reports of damage. 

“A reminder that we do have earthquakes”

Roberto Masis, a seismologist at Rutgers University, says two earthquakes like these in less than two weeks is probably not something to worry about, even if it seems unusual to some.

“I don’t think it’s a sign that we’re going to experience more [earthquakes]. It’s a sign, a reminder that we do have earthquakes,” Masis said.

The New Jersey area has earthquakes that are felt every two or three years, according to Masis. 

Fault lines in New Jersey

The Ramapo Fault, a major fault line in New Jersey, caused the Morris County earthquake on July 21. But it’s unclear where the one on August 2 came from. 

“We do not know what specific fault caused the earthquake,” Masis said.

That is because many faults are still unknown to scientists.

April 2024’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey, which officials said was felt by 42 million people from Virginia to Maine, led to the discovery of the Mountainview Fault. 

In this part of the country, “It’s pretty much just about every earthquake, we discover a new fault line,” Oliver Boyd, a research geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said. 

Perhaps the latest earthquake will lead to another discovery. 

Mark Prussin contributed to this report.

Vanessa MurdockVanessa Murdock is a member of the First Alert Weather Team, covering weekend evenings.

© 2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.