Latest news with #USGeologicalSurvey
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Small earthquake hits Morris County, N.J.
A small earthquake hit Morris County in New Jersey Monday. The 1.6 magnitude happened at 5:40 a.m. about two miles west of Morris Plains, and about three miles below ground, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Morris Plains is about 30 miles west of New York City. There was no damage reported. In 2024, the most powerful earthquake to hit the East Coast in a century hit Readington Township, some 30 miles away from Monday's quake. Dozens of aftershocks followed. In January, a 2.4 earthquake struck in Bergen County. Parts of Paramus shook. New Jersey is home to a major fault line called the Ramapo fault. That said, earthquakes are considered relatively rare in the area.
New York Post
a day ago
- General
- New York Post
Six earthquakes rattle same New Jersey county in one day: ‘It was a loud boom'
Six minor earthquakes shook one New Jersey county in a single day — rattling residents as the ground beneath them wouldn't stay still. Morris County became the epicenter of hysteria Monday as the series of quakes — ranging from a magnitude 0.7 to 2.0 — rocked the Randolph area five times and nearby Mendham once in the roughly 17-hour span, according to the US Geological Survey. 4 Map of Morris County, NJ showing six earthquake epicenters. U.S. Geological Survey 'There was just this loud boom,' one resident recalled to News 12 New Jersey. 'It wasn't a tree hit, it was a loud boom.' The seismic activity kicked off with a 1.6 magnitude quake at 5:40 a.m., followed hours later by a 1.3 magnitude tremor at 2:26 p.m., according to the USGS. 4 Seismograph needle tracing earthquake activity. Getty Images/iStockphoto A 0.7 magnitude earthquake then shook Mendham at 5:51 p.m., before the Randolph area was hit by back-to-back tremors — a 1.2 at 8:19 p.m. and a stronger 2.0 at 9 p.m. 'The couch basically jumped while I was watching TV,' another homeowner told the outlet. 'When the dog reacts I always feel like there's something going on.' 4 Five quakes rocked the Randolph area and nearby Mendham once in the roughly 17-hour span. U.S. Geological Survey The tectonic activity ended at 11:25 p.m. with a 1.1 magnitude quake, data showed. The string of tremors resulted in the Morris County Office of Emergency Management fielding dozens of 911 calls from startled residents, director Jeff Paul told News 12. 4 Morris County Office of Emergency Management said they fielded a flurry of calls from startled residents. Morris County Office of Emergency Management/Facebook 'We do have that fault line that runs through Ramapo in Jersey so it's not necessarily completely unusual that this has occurred,' Paul said. 'Luckily it's classified as minor in nature at this point and everybody is safe and sound and no damage reported.' The Garden State is home to the Ramapo Fault.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Infamous Trump rebrand sparked confusion and chaos
Donald Trump 's directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America caused significant disruption within the US Geological Survey. Agency staff were instructed by their public affairs office to completely ignore all media inquiries regarding the name change. Even Michael Tischler, a USGS director, expressed internal confusion about the practical implementation of the name change, including whether the Gulf would be split. The Society of Professional Journalists criticised the agency's actions as 'stonewalling', although the Interior Department defended their protocol as standard procedure. A bill sponsored by Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to legally enshrine the name change passed the House but is unlikely to pass in the Senate due to Democratic opposition.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump's Gulf of Mexico rebrand caused chaos in agency tasked with explaining it: ‘Do not respond at all'
President Donald Trump's directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America sparked chaos within the agency that was tasked with explaining it, according to a new report. Trump announced the name change on January 7, just weeks before his inauguration. This triggered a whirlwind of questions from reporters directed at the U.S. Geological Survey, the agency responsible for the country's geographic names, the media outlet NOTUS reports. Agency staff were just as curious as reporters about the potential renaming, according to NOTUS. But Michael Tischler, director of the agency's National Geospatial Program, told staff that the public affairs office instructed them not to respond to journalists' questions. 'I don't mean '...has no comment at this time…,' I mean do not respond at all,' Tischler wrote in a January 7 message reviewed by NOTUS. Agency staff, including Tischler, even discussed the policy with the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. Their discussion came after a reporter asked the United Nations group how the rest of the world might respond to the name change. The United Nations group discussed a potential statement in response, but it appears it was never released, according to NOTUS. Tischler informed the group that his agency was not responding to any media requests. When Trump made the change official, even Tischler himself was wondering how the name change would work in practice. In an email to the State Department, Tischler wrote: 'Does this definition constitute the entire Gulf? Or are we going to splitting [sic] the feature into two — Gulf of Mexico in the southern portion and Gulf of America in the northern portion?' Society of Professional Journalists Executive Director Caroline Hendrie told NOTUS that the agency was 'stonewalling' journalists amid the chaos. 'It's unacceptable for public officials, particularly those in communications roles funded by taxpayers, to adopt a deliberate strategy of ignoring journalists' requests,' she said. A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the Geological Survey, told NOTUS that agency staff acted appropriately. The agency 'followed standard protocol by referring all related media inquiries to [the Department of the Interior], as is appropriate when the department is leading a high-level initiative,' the spokesperson said. 'The notion that USGS staff deliberately withheld information or acted inappropriately is categorically false.' The Independent has contacted the U.S. Geological Survey and the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names for comment. While Trump instituted the name change via executive order, some federal lawmakers are seeking to enshrine his directive in law. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene sponsored a bill that would instruct federal agencies to update all documents and maps to reflect the new name within six months. That bill passed the House in May along party lines. Every Republican except for one — Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska — voted in favor. The bill is now in the Senate, but it's unlikely to pass due to Democratic opposition. Trump has also targeted other U.S. landmarks. The president ordered that Alaska's Denali, the tallest peak in North America, be renamed back to Mount McKinley in January. The name honors former President William McKinley, who served from 1897 until 1901, when he was assassinated. McKinley was born in Ohio and never set foot in Alaska, the Associated Press reports.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Small earthquake hits Morris County, N.J. today
A small earthquake hit Morris County in New Jersey Monday. The 1.6 magnitude happened at 9:40 a.m. about two miles west of Morris Plains, and about three miles below ground, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Morris Plains is about 30 miles west of New York City. There was no damage reported. In 2024, the most powerful earthquake to hit the East Coast in a century hit Readington Township, some 30 miles away from Monday's quake. Dozens of aftershocks followed. In January, a 2.4 earthquake struck in Bergen County. Parts of Paramus shook. New Jersey is home to a major fault line called the Ramapo fault. That said, earthquakes are considered relatively rare in the area.
