A quick glimpse at a readout from the station’s instruments reveals a large spike around 10:23 a.m., followed by smaller spikes until 11 a.m., said Stephen Holler, Ph.D., an associate professor of physics at Fordham, who heads the station, located next to Freeman hall on the Rose Hill campus.

“But overall, this earthquake was a very short and very quick event compared to some of the others that we’ve seen where it seems like it kind of rings for a long time,” said Holler.

He said that although the quake, which struck in Lebanon, New Jersey, rattled residents from Philadelphia to Boston, it was not nearly as bad as other recent quakes.

“The 7.8 magnitude quake in Taiwan—that was 1,000 times more powerful than what we just felt, for perspective. They can get truly scary,” said Holler, whose expert commentary was featured by several media outlets throughout the day. But in the New York region, today’s quake was the largest felt since 2011.

As for aftershocks, Holler said residents need not be worried.

“There may be some aftershocks, which will be the ground resettling down after it slipped, but I don’t expect them to be any larger than what we just experienced,” he said.

The Fordham seismic station, which is operated by the Department of Physics, has been recording earthquakes around the world from the same small building on the Rose Hill campus since 1931. One of the few seismic stations in New York state, it now operates with digital technology.

It’s part of a vast network of monitoring stations that work together to determine data such as the strength and length of the quake, as well as the depth of it. Holler said it’s comparable to the way law enforcement uses data from multiple cell phone towers to pinpoint the location of a single cell phone.

The station has a state-of-the-art broadband seismometer and also houses a strong motion detector under a United States Geological Survey (USGS) program to assess earthquake risk remediation in large metropolitan centers. Data from the station is streamed to the USGS data repository in Boulder, Colorado.

The science of earthquakes has been studied at Fordham since 1910, when the first monitoring facility was constructed in the basement of Cunniffe House.

Rumblings from the offices of the University president apparently disturbed the sensitive instruments, so in 1923, the University constructed a new seismic observatory donated by William Spain and dedicated to the memory of his son William. It was moved several times before finding a permanent home next to Freeman Hall, where the physics department is located.

Dear Members of the Fordham Community,

The University has completed a thorough assessment of our campuses following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the greater New York City area. No members of the community were injured, and there was no damage to any of Fordham’s campuses. If you notice any damage, or need assistance, please call Public Safety at 718-817-2222.

Please see the Fordham News story for details about the earthquake, including commentary and a seismograph reading from Stephen Holler, professor of physics at Fordham and head of the William Spain Seismic Observatory at Rose Hill.

We don’t anticipate further updates.

Sincerely,

Robert Fitzer
Associate Vice President for Public Safety

Dear Members of the Fordham Community,

The greater New York City area experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was centered in Lebanon, N.J., about 45 miles west of the city. If you see any damage, or need assistance, call Public Safety at 718-817-2222 immediately.

There may be aftershocks, but they will be weaker tremors. If you are outdoors, do be aware of possible falling objects if you are near buildings or other structures.

Our initial assessment indicates no apparent damage to Fordham’s buildings, but we are continuing to survey all campuses for any breakages or damage. Campuses remain open and are operating as scheduled. We will update the community as necessary.

Robert Fitzer
Associate Vice President for Public Safety

News of the earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria early this morning has shocked and dismayed many of us. The magnitude 7.8 quake has taken over 3,500 lives as of this writing,* and destroyed infrastructure in a region already beset with war and a refugee crisis, to say nothing of the harsh winter weather. How may we respond to this humanitarian disaster?

*Sadly, as of Friday, February 10, more than 22,000 people in Turkey and Syria have lost their lives in the earthquake and its aftermath.

As a community of faith in action, Fordham has responded with great generosity to past crises around the world. I am writing to ask that we all do so again. This Sunday’s Gospel reminded us of our identity as “salt of the earth and light of the world” (Mt. 5:13-16). Let’s hold up the light of hope in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Turkey and Syria in their hour of darkness and unimaginable loss.

Below is a list of agencies accepting donations toward their rescue and relief efforts in the region. I ask that we all give what we can, and of course, please keep those afflicted by this tragedy in your prayers and in your hearts.

With gratitude for your generosity,

José Luis Salazar, S.J.
Executive Director of Campus Ministry

Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

Save the Children: https://www.savethechildren.org/

UNICEF: https://www.unicefusa.org/

“It saturated the detector,” said Holler.

With more than a century of use behind it, the station is still one of the few in New York state, and now operates with digital technology. There are two instruments, one of which is less sensitive so that it could survive should a large earthquake hit New York. The guts of the instruments are still fundamentally the same as a century ago—concrete masses attached to springs at bedrock with motion generating an electric current that measures north/south, east/west, and vertical movements. Each movement is reflected via different colors on the seismograph chart.

“Normally you don’t see much on the strong motion instrument, but the Mexico earthquake was very strong and relatively near so we got a good signal, even on the less sensitive instrument,” said Crooker.

Holler said the Mexican tremors reached Rose Hill within minutes and the device has picked up tremors from as far away as Sumatra. The data is share as part of the Lamont Cooperative Seismic Network and is streamed to the USGS data repository.