Ramapo Fault

Map depicting the extent of the Ramapo Fault System in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

The Ramapo Fault zone is a system of faults between the northern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont areas to the east.[1] Spanning more than 185 miles (298 km) in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, it is perhaps the best known fault zone in the Mid-Atlantic region, and some small earthquakes have been known to occur in its vicinity. Recently, public knowledge about the fault has increased, especially after the 1970s, when the fault's proximity to the Indian Point nuclear plant in New York was noted.

Some seismologists have argued that this fault has the potential to produce a major earthquake,[2][3] but earthquakes are scattered throughout this region, with no particular concentration of activity along the Ramapo fault. Thus, others have argued that the Ramapo Fault has not been demonstrated to be any more active than any other fault zones in the greater New York City area.[4][5][6]

Seismicity in the vicinity of New York City. Data are from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC). Green lines indicate the trace of the Ramapo fault.
  1. ^ Earthquakes and the Ramapo Fault System in Southeastern New York State. Earth Institute News Archive, Columbia University, 2004. Accessed October 24, 2009.
  2. ^ Aggarwal, Y.P. and L.R. Sykes (1978), Earthquakes, faults and Nuclear Power Plants in Southern New York and Northern New Jersey, Science, 200, 425–429.
  3. ^ Sykes, L.R., J.G. Armbruster, W.Y. Kim, and L. Seeber (2008), Observations and Tectonic Setting of Historic and Instrumentally Located Earthquakes in the Greater New York City–Philadelphia Area, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 98(4), 1696–1719.
  4. ^ Kafka, A.L. E.A. Schlesinger-Miller, and N.L. Barstow (1985), Earthquake Activity in the Greater New York City Area: Magnitudes, Seismicity, and Geologic Structures, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 75(1), 1285–1300.
  5. ^ Kafka, A.L. M.A. Winslow, and N.L. Barstow (1989), Earthquake Activity in the Greater New York City Area: A Fault Finder's Guide, in Field Trip Guidebook (D. Weiss,Editor), 61st Annual Meeting, New York State Geological Association, 177–204.
  6. ^ Kafka, Alan. "Faults and Earthquakes in the Greater NY City Area: Reflections at the Intersection of Science, the Media, and the Public".