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New York has just been hit by a rare earthquake – but conspiracy theorists are already emerging.
The city has been shaken by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, with an epicentre in Lebanon, New Jersey.
Kaz Daughtry, deputy commissioner of the NYPD, said the force is evaluating the impact of the tremors – although they ‘do not have any reports of major impacts at this time’.
The quake, which hit at around 10am local time, was reportedly felt as far as Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
An emergency alert was sent out to phones in the New York area, advising residents to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured.
But one natural phenomenon is being linked to another, as a total solar eclipse is set to be seen across North America on Monday seen across North America on Monday.
The two events taking place in quick succession is leading to speculation that the world is ending.
We can assure you that this isn’t the case – but that won’t stop us enjoying some of the memes already being shared on social media.
Research investigating the potential connections between eclipses and earthquakes has indicated that increased tidal stresses during a new moon, which is necessary for a solar eclipse, could slightly elevate the likelihood of a large earthquake.
An article published in Nature Geoscience in 2016 found large subduction zones are highly sensitive to tidal changes.
After examining and simulating changing tides in the two weeks before significant earthquakes such Sumatra in 2004, Chile in 2010 and Tohoku in 2011, they found the earthquakes tended to occur at times of maximum stress – during full or new moons.
However the report emphasizes that their findings only apply to large magnitude earthquakes, meaning today’s earthquake in New York is unlikely to have been impacted by the tides.
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