2.6 magnitude earthquake rattles parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania

The month of May started with a rumble for people in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania after a minor 2.6 earthquake was reported Wednesday morning.

PHILADELPHIA - The month of May started with a rumble for people in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania after a minor 2.6 earthquake was reported Wednesday morning.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake happened around 7 a.m. in Gladstone, New Jersey – the same town that experienced an aftershock following a 4.8 magnitude earthquake last month.

People reported feeling rumbles from the earthquake as south as Philadelphia and as far north as Scranton, according to the USGS website. The bulk of the activity was reported around Somerset and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.

The northern counties of New Jersey have recently become somewhat of a hot bed for minor earthquakes and aftershocks. The 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Apr. 5 was felt in places from New York City to Philadelphia, and registered at least 50 aftershocks.

Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the U.S. because the East Coast does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates. But 13 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or stronger have been recorded since 1950 within 500 km (311 miles) of Friday's tremblor, the USGS said. The strongest was a 5.8-magnitude quake in Mineral, Virginia, on Aug. 23, 2011, that jolted people from Georgia to Canada.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.