Small Earthquake Hits Near Letchworth State Park

While New York isn't famous for earthquakes, they also are not that rare and it seems we've just had another small earthquake here in Western New York.

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According to a report by WKBW-TV, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that a magnitude 2.4 earthquake happened in Livingston County, New York, about 50 miles southeast of Buffalo. The epicenter of the earthquake was just a few miles east of Letchworth State Park.

The earthquake occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 27th, and only lasted a few seconds. The quake caused quite a few people to call the Livingston County Sheriff's department according to a tweet from Sheriff Thomas Dougherty. One person described it feeling like a big truck coming through.

According to the Northeast States Emergency Consortium, New York has had more than 500 earthquakes since the year 1737. Since 2010, the USGS reports, there have been more than 100 earthquakes of different magnitudes throughout upstate New York and southern Ontario. This includes a 1.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Wilson a few months ago and a 2.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Medina last March.

Earthquakes are measured using the Moment Magnitude Scale which measures the size of the earthquake at its source. The scale can range from 1.0 to 9.0 or greater. An earthquake that measures below 2.0 is relatively small and likely only felt by the machine, while anything above a 7.0 is considered a major quake and would cause considerable damage to the area around it.

Did you feel the earthquake? If you did, the United States Geological Survey wants to hear from you. Click here to tell them all about what you felt.