Buffalo rode a miniquake on day big one struck elsewhere
Buffalo was rattled by a midmorning earthquake measuring 3.8 — hours after a 7.8-magnitude tremor caused more than 2,300 deaths in Turkey and Syria.
Mayor Byron Brown called it “a relief” the quake in the northwest corner of the state appeared to have done no harm.
The U.S. Geological Survey posted an earthquake notice shortly before 7 a.m., inviting commentary from locals. One Twitter user asked if the tremor under suburban West Seneca might have been triggered by early-morning rumblings in Turkey.
The USGS responded by linking to a FAQ page stating, “Earthquakes, particularly large ones, can trigger other earthquakes in more distant locations through a process known as dynamic stress transfer/ triggering.”
However, it offered a mathematical table indicating the 5,000 miles between Turkey and New York State make a connection between the two quakes very unlikely.
Jim LiPuma told the Buffalo News it felt as though a car hit his home.
“It was a heavy vibration that shook the whole house,” he said. It was crazy.”
The Buffalo home next to LiPuma’s reportedly had bricks shaken from its chimney.
A State University of New York at Buffalo structural engineering professor told the Buffalo News there’s no reason for concern.
“There are earthquakes all the time here,” Michel Bruneau said.
He estimated tens of thousands of 3.8-magnitude earthquakes strike worldwide every year. Bruneau said there was no connection “whatsoever” between the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Buffalo’s minor shakeup. The powerful quake striking Turkey on Monday morning was followed by a formidable 6.7 aftershock.
Officials in upstate New York said shaking was felt as far north as Niagara Falls.