TOTAL COINCIDENCE
Conspiracy theory runs wild linking New York City’s 4.8-magnitude earthquake to date of solar eclipse
The 'meaningful' link between the natural events all comes down to numbers
WILD claims have circulated online about a supposed link between the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook New York City and a solar event next week — and some eclipse reason.
An estimated 42 million people across the northeast were jutted out of their routines when the earthquake shook buildings and rattled windows at about 10:23 am on Friday.
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The epicenter of the quake was about seven miles north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, roughly an hour west of New York City, according to The US Geological Survey.
While earthquakes are not unheard of in the northeastern US, shudders of this size and magnitude have not been felt in the region for over a decade.
"We're taking this extremely seriously," New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X after the tremor.
"There's always the possibility of aftershocks. We have not felt a magnitude of this earthquake since about 2011.
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"This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast to occur in the last century."
Multiple aftershocks were felt in the hours after the quake, ranging from 1.8 to 4.0 in size.
A 4.0 magnitude aftershock hit near Gladstone, New Jersey, 37 miles west of New York City, at around 6 pm.
It shook the Big Apple and Long Island, where residents reported feeling their houses shake once again.
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"Aftershocks of these sizes are normal and are not expected to cause further damage," Hochul said in a post on X.
And now some X users are pushing outlandish theories linking the quake to the rare solar eclipse that will occur on Monday, April 8.
Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith left visibly stunned on First Take after ‘absolutely insane’ earthquake in New York
COINCIDENCE, OR A SIGN?
Fans of numerology, eat your hearts out!
"It’s not a coincidence that the magnitude earthquake in NJ was 4.8, and the solar eclipse is on 4/8," posted X user Andrew Graf (@AndrewGraf_10).
His claim caused a stir among other users.
"4.8 is a man-made measurement... the eclipse is nature," one person countered.
"A measurement calculating a natural disaster, not a made-up number lmao," the influencer countered.
"I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. Synchronicities, yes. It’s time to look around and see what is happening," a second person wrote.
That went from 'I'm sure it's just a nearby subway' to 'the rapture has begun' in about 7 seconds.
X user
Other people shared similar ideas in different posts.
"4.8 earthquake and the eclipse is on 4/8. Coincidence I think not?" OMGitsMawga (@mawga_) wrote, echoing many other posts.
"Not only was it an earthquake, it was a 4.8 magnitude quake. Guess when the eclipse is? April 8th (4.8.24)," J² (@RedBear3000) piped in.
"4.8 magnitude earthquake. eclipse 4/8. Get your bucket list out, we’re dying during that eclipse," another user named mrs. oubre-bohm said dramatically.
Some social media users pointed to an earthquake in Brazil, a 4.8 magnitude, as part of their wild claims.
"The one in Brazil was 4.8 as well," one person said as others echoed the same sentiment in their own posts.
The supposed link to the earthquake isn't the only conspiracy theory about the upcoming eclipse that has spread like wildfire online.
On TikTok, it was claimed that the eclipse would cross over seven or eight US cities named Nineveh, which is the name of a city in Iraq that was described as "evil" in the Bible.
While this claim was debunked, some are still insisting the eclipse is a message representing a new beginning or "born again" event.
"Oh, did you know there was a total eclipse the very day Jonah preached a warning to Nineveh? Nineveh repented. Will America?" one person pushing the conspiracy theory wrote.
SHOCK AND AWE
Residents living across the northeast said they did not know what was happening when the quake first struck.
And as people sometimes tend to do in uncertainty, many immediately turned to the worst-case scenarios.
"That went from 'I'm sure it's just a nearby subway' to 'the rapture has begun' in about 7 seconds," one person in New York wrote on X.
"It's the apocalypse. New York doesn't have earthquakes," another person wrote.
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"Felt like a train going through my house," someone else said, sharing dramatic surveillance footage of their home shaking in Lebanon, New Jersey.
"My whole classroom was shaking. My kids loved it," a New York City teacher named Jessica R. told The U.S. Sun.
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How prepared is NYC for an earthquake?
A 4.8-magnitude tremor rattled the Big Apple on the morning of April 5, 2024, leaving New Yorkers concerned about how well prepared Gotham is for an earthquake.
Earthquakes on the East Coast are rare, and New York City would be ill-equipped if a 7-magnitude or larger tremor were to strike.
- NYC added earthquake safety provisions to its buildings as late as 1995.
- But, most of the city's roughly 1 million buildings were built before the rules were implemented.
- Many of the buildings are considered vulnerable to earthquakes.
- According to the city's Hazard Mitigation Plan, "any potential damage here could be catastrophic due to the density and age of buildings and the interdependencies of complex layers of infrastructure."
- The city has taken steps over the years to improve its resilience to earthquakes, requiring new buildings to be constructed to modern seismic standards to withstand the impact of earthquakes to minimize risk.
What is the likelihood of a large earthquake striking New York City?
- NYC has experienced its fair share of tremors, including on January 2, 2024, when a 1.7-magnitude quake shook parts of Queens and Roosevelt Island on the city's East River.
- The largest earthquake ever recorded in the Big Apple's history came on August 10, 1884, when a 5.2-magnitude hit the city.
- That tremor is believed to have originated somewhere between Brooklyn and Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
- If a similar 1884 quake were to happen today, the damage to people and infrastructure would be more severe due to the amount of building development along the Hudson and in New York City since, according to NYC Emergency Management.
- However, experts believe it is unlikely a large earthquake could hit NYC because of how rare they are.
- Geophysicist researcher Thomas Pratt previously told Pix 11 that he does not expect the eastern US to ever experience a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake.