NEW JERSEY - The discovery of a new fault line may explain ... "If [the April] earthquake was just a little stronger, or a little closer to New York City, the effect would be much greater.

A 2.4 earthquake hit the New York metro area around 1 p.m. Friday ... occur near the epicenter of an earthquake and happen when fault lines readjust along the portion of the fault that shifted ...

A fault line is a place where there is a long break in the rock that forms the surface of the earth and where earthquakes are more likely to happen. The system spans from upstate New York ...