NEW YORK -- An unusual East Coast earthquake shook millions of people from New York and Philadelphia skyscrapers to rural New England on Friday, causing no widespread damage but startling an area unaccustomed to temblors.
The U.S. Geological Survey said over 42 million people might have felt the midmorning quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centered near Whitehouse Station, N.J., or about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.
People from Baltimore to Boston and beyond felt the ground shake. Nearly 30 people were displaced when officials evacuated three multifamily homes in Newark, N.J., to check for damage. Officials around the region were inspecting bridges and other major infrastructure, some flights were diverted or delayed, Amtrak slowed trains throughout the busy Northeast Corridor, and a Philadelphia-area commuter rail line suspended service as a precaution.
Whitehouse Station Fire Chief Tim Apgar said no injuries were reported, but responders fielded some calls from people who smelled gas. Nearby, the upper portion of the 264-year-old Col. John Taylor's Grist Mill historic site collapsed onto a roadway, according to Readington Township Mayor Adam Mueller.
Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the U.S. because the East Coast does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates. But 13 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or stronger have been recorded within 311 miles of Friday's temblor since 1950, the USGS said.
Rocks under the East Coast are better than their western counterparts at spreading earthquake energy across long distances, scientists note.
"If we had the same magnitude quake in California, it probably wouldn't be felt nearly as far away," said USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso.
Over a dozen aftershocks were reported in the ensuing hours in the region, including a 4.0 magnitude quake early Friday evening, according to the USGS.
A 4.8 magnitude quake isn't large enough to cause damage, except for some minor effects near the epicenter, the agency posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Still, Friday's quake caused some disruption.
Flights to the New York, Newark and Baltimore airports were held at their origins for a time while officials inspected runways for cracks. The Seton Hall University men's basketball team said its flight to Newark was held in Indianapolis, likely delaying a Friday afternoon welcome-home celebration of the team's National Invitational Tournament win Thursday.
At least five flights en route to Newark were diverted and landed at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pa., where some passengers rented cars to get home.
Traffic through the Holland Tunnel between Jersey City, New Jersey and lower Manhattan was stopped for about 10 minutes for inspections, the Port Authority of New York and Jersey said.
President Joe Biden said he spoke to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy about the earthquake. The White House said the administration would provide help if needed.
New York City had no indications of major safety or infrastructure problems from the earthquake, Mayor Eric Adams said. City Buildings Commissioner James Oddo said officials would watch for any delayed cracks or other effects on the Big Apple's 1.1 million buildings.
Engineers said New York's skyscrapers are made of high-strength materials and designed to sway slowly to withstand winds and other impacts. Modern high rises also have other features to help absorb any shock.
Information for this article was contributed by Jake Offenhartz, Bobby Caina Calvan, Michael R. Sisak, Philip Marcelo, Karen Matthews, Ron Blum, Edith M. Lederer, Seth Borenstein, Michael Casey, Maryclaire Dale, Mark Scolforo, Michael Rubinkam, Susan Haigh, Pat Eaton-Robb and Bruce Shipkowski of The Associated Press.