On Friday, there was an earthquake near New York City. The city has tall buildings like the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center. Even though tall buildings might seem like they would be damaged by earthquakes, experts say they are built to handle shaking.
The earthquake was 4.8 magnitude and happened about 45 miles away in New Jersey. The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, said there were aftershocks, but there was no major damage to buildings, roads, or public transportation.
The Empire State Building, with its 103 floors, posted on social media that it was okay.
According to Elisabeth Malsch, an engineer from a company that works on big buildings in New York, skyscrapers are made to handle strong winds and other impacts. They are built to sway slowly in the wind, which also helps them in earthquakes.
Recently, there was an earthquake near New York City
Taller buildings are more flexible because they are made to deal with the wind, which has a bigger effect on them than earthquakes.
Old skyscrapers are built with strong materials like steel and concrete to support their weight. Ahmad Rahimian, who helped build One World Trade Center, said skyscrapers can be very safe during earthquakes.
Skyscrapers in New York are designed to withstand earthquakes that are 6.5 magnitude or larger.
Modern tall buildings have dampers on their roofs to help absorb shock from earthquakes, said Borys Hayda, an engineer from a New York company that works on big buildings.
Even though earthquakes are rare in New York, engineers have to make sure buildings can handle all kinds of risks.
