Small earthquake shakes New York City, prompting reports of explosions

Tuesday morning brought reports of explosions in the Roosevelt Island and Queens areas of New York, but it wasn’t a blast that rocked the communities. Instead, it is believed it was a small earthquake.

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Initially, 60 fire and medical personnel were dispatched to respond to the reported explosion, according to WNBC. No flames were found, so the fire department said the reports were “unfounded” and turned the scene over to energy company Con Edison to investigate.

The United States Geological Survey said a 1.7 magnitude earthquake centered near Astoria, Queens, had hit the same area earlier Tuesday morning, WNBC reported.

Residents said they were awakened around 5:45 a.m. to noises and their buildings shaking.

There have been no reports of injuries, but first responders were checking to make sure that none of the buildings on Roosevelt Island were damaged.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for the Big Apple to be hit by an earthquake. A 2.2 magnitude temblor hit Westchester County and parts of New Jersey last year.

It also isn’t the only quake to rock part of the East Coast this week. Another small earthquake occurred near Rockville, Maryland, on Tuesday morning, The Washington Post reported. The 2.3 magnitude quake happened about 9.5 miles under the Earth’s surface around 1 a.m., according to the USGS. There were also no reports of injuries or damage from the earthquake.

Most reports came from Montgomery County ,where Rockville is located, but there were also some reports in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.

There were also earthquakes in Japan (7.5 magnitude) and Rancho Palos Verdes, California (4.1) yesterday, according to the USGS.

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