New Jersey earthquake? 3.1-magnitude quake shakes people awake early Wednesday

ASBURY PARK, N.J. – A 3.1 magnitude earthquake was confirmed to have struck parts of Central Jersey early Wednesday morning, according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was felt around 2 a.m. and lasted 13 seconds about a mile and a half near Freehold Township, USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders said.

"We've received a high concentration of reports from local residents of a quake being felt out of Freehold," Sanders said.

There have been two earthquakes on record that have also struck within 10 miles of the epicenter of Wednesday's morning quake in Freehold: a 3.1 magnitude earthquake in June 1992 and a 3.5 in 1979, according to Sanders.

It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries or structural damage, but Sanders didn't expect significant damage.

"With it being a magnitude of 3.1, a case of injuries is very unlikely," Sanders said. "We might have case of items falling off shelves and possibly landing on someone, but typically we don't usually see any widespread damage done with a magnitude this low."

The last significant earthquake felt in New Jersey was on Aug. 23, 2011. That quake originated in central Virginia and had a magnitude of 5.8.

Read this: Google Android phones to assist with earthquake alerts and searches

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5 to 5.9 is considered moderately strong on the Richter scale. Above a magnitude of 5.9, a quake's potential for devastation grows increasingly more likely.

Dozens of social media users across the state reported having felt strong vibrations Wednesday morning, and some said they heard an explosion of some sort.

Joshua Chung, @Joshchunggg

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Earthquake New Jersey: 3.1-magnitude quake hits near Freehold