Delaware just got hit with a 4.4 magnitude earthquake, and people in New York City say they felt it
- A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck 6 miles outside of Dover, Delaware.
- Social media users in Washington D.C. and New York City said they felt the quake.
- The strongest shaking near the earthquake's epicenter could have caused moderate damage, according to the USGS.
Delaware got hit with a 4.4 magnitude earthquake late Thursday afternoon, and shaking was felt as far away as New York City.
The quake's epicenter was just over 6 miles (10 km) from Dover, Delaware and hit at a depth of 4.3 miles (7 km).
Twitter users in Washington D.C., Brooklyn, and other locations on the Eastern Seaboard say they felt tremors.
The map above show's the quake's reach. The rings around its epicenter - represented by the yellow star on the map - show the varying degrees of intensity of the shaking. The sea-green ring around the epicenter represents level six shaking, according to the United States Geologic Survey (USGS).
Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the USGS, said on Twitter that Intensity VI shaking could "damage poorly built structures," and "throw things off of shelves." The strongest shaking at the quake's epicenter was measured at Intensity VII, which can cause moderate damage, according to the USGS.
Though some New Yorkers reported feeling the quake, the shaking that hit the region was measured as Intensity II, which is characterized by the USGS as weak with no potential for damage.
Earthquakes are uncommon on the East Coast, and are much less intense than those on the West Coast. But they are typically felt over a larger area, according to the USGS.