Aftershocks continue, and a stronger one on Wednesday was felt near Philly, USGS says

One of the stronger aftershocks shook the area near the epicenter of Friday’s earthquake in north-central Jersey on Wednesday morning, with at least two reports of the tremors being felt in the Philly region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The aftershock was a 2.6 on the moment magnitude scale — the second strongest so far, matching the 2.6 that occurred within an hour of the “mainshock” quake that rocked areas from Maryland to New England at 10:23 a.m. Friday.

Of the more than 45 aftershocks detected officially, the one Wednesday morning was only the fifth to exceed the “microearthquake” threshold of 2, according to USGS data. A 1.9 was recorded shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The largest aftershock, a 3.8, was registered at 6 p.m. Friday. No significant damages have been reported from either the mainshock or the aftershocks.

More than 550 people reported feeling the Wednesday tremors, according to USGS. One of the reports came from Camden County, and another from Montgomery County.

Two weak aftershocks — a 1.3 and 1.5 — were measured on Tuesday, and a 1.4 during early morning hours of Wednesday, USGS said.

All the aftershocks have occurred not far from the epicenter of the 4.8 Friday quake at Whitehouse Station in Hunterdon County.

The numbers of aftershocks are no cause for alarm, said Alexandra Hatem, USGS research geologist at the Geologic Hazards Science Center, in Golden, Colo.

“The aftershocks are expected, and nothing out of the ordinary,” she said.