A 3.8 earthquake with a centre near the West Seneca neighbourhood of Buffalo was first detected by the US Geological Survey at around 6.15 am.
Early on Monday, a tiny earthquake shook western New York, scaring residents who are not used to such shaking but causing what appears to be no major damage.
At around 6.15 am, the West Seneca suburb east of Buffalo was the epicentre of a 3.8 earthquake, according to preliminary reports from the US Geological Survey (USGS). It matched the intensity of the greatest earthquake the area has experienced in the 40 years of records that are accessible, which was a 3.8 quake that was registered in November 1999, according to seismologist Yaareb Altaweel.
Residents fled to their windows and doors as the shaking continued for a few seconds.
“My Buffalo home felt like it was struck by a car. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted, “I bolted out of bed.
The earthquake was felt in at least a 30-mile radius, including Niagara Falls, which is located approximately 20 miles north of Buffalo, according to county emergency services authorities, he added.
Upstate New York frequently experiences little earthquakes, but they are rarely as intensely felt. The region recently had two meteorological disasters that broke records: a snowfall in November that dumped up to seven feet of snow, and a blizzard in December that is responsible for 47 fatalities.
A severe earthquake that killed hundreds in Turkey and Syria occurred hours before the earthquake in western New York. There is no relationship between the two events, according to a USGS official.
