Western New York Sits On Earthquake Fault System

Were you shocked to learn that a 2.3 magnitude earthquake struck in Western New York earlier this week? I know I was, but we shouldn't have been, because Western New York actually sits atop a fault line.

Earthquake Rocks Parts Of Western New York

This week it was confirmed that a 2.3 magnitude earthquake happened just south of Rochester, New York. The quake was recorded late on Wednesday night,

Western New York Sits Atop The Clarendon-Linden Fault System

This fault system runs from Lake Ontario, passing to the west of the City of Rochester, but through towns such as Batavia, Attica, and Linden, and goes all the way down to Rushford Lake.

This is considered a fault system since there is no one major fault line, but several small fault lines all grouped together. This fault system produced several earthquakes every year, but the majority of them are small and cannot be felt above ground.

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The last "major" earthquake felt before the one this week was back in 2023, when the earthquake near West Seneca was recorded. That was a 3.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023.

Since the discovery of the fault system in the 1700s, there have been over 500 confirmed earthquakes tied to it.