M2.4 Earthquake near Paramus, New Jersey — 24 January 2025
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.4 was recorded near Paramus, New Jersey on , with an epicentre 1 km east-southeast of Paramus, at a focal depth of 7.7 km.
Time (UTC): 2025-01-24 18:02:24
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.4 (minor)
Focal depth: 7.7 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 40.9410, -74.0552
Location: 1 km ESE of Paramus, New Jersey
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 351, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 40.9410, -74.0552 — 1 km east-southeast of Paramus. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.7 earthquake 5 km north of here on 05 August 2025.
Why the 8 km depth matters
At 8 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.4 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.0 event near Hasbrouck Heights on 03 August 2025. This M2.4 event released about 7.9 times less energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the January 2025 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M2.7 earthquake near Hillsdale, New Jersey — (5 km N)
- M3.0 earthquake near Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey — (9 km S)
- M2.3 earthquake near Sleepy Hollow, New York — (22 km NE)
- M1.5 earthquake near Chappaqua, New York — (35 km NE)
- M1.6 earthquake near Morris Plains, New Jersey — (42 km WSW)
- M2.0 earthquake near Randolph, New Jersey — (44 km WSW)
- M1.1 earthquake near Randolph, New Jersey — (45 km WSW)
- M1.3 earthquake near Randolph, New Jersey — (46 km WSW)
- M1.2 earthquake near Randolph, New Jersey — (46 km WSW)
- M0.7 earthquake near Mendham, New Jersey — (47 km WSW)
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.1 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M2.7 earthquake near Naalehu, Hawaii —
- M2.4 earthquake near Ashford, Washington —
- M2.7 earthquake near Maricao, Puerto Rico —
- M2.5 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M2.1 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M2.3 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., MX —
- M2.5 earthquake near Ninilchik, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 2.4 earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage. A magnitude 2.4 earthquake radiates roughly 60 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Paramus?
At 8 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M2.4 earthquake near Paramus felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.4 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Paramus?
0 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 3.0 event near Hasbrouck Heights on 03 August 2025. This M2.4 event released about 7.9 times less energy than that event.