Shaking and loud noises reported at the Jersey Shore are similar to those felt in South Carolina on Tuesday.
Reports of tremors felt throughout New Jersey this afternoon are similar to those felt in South Carolina where sonic booms are thought to be responsible for loud noises and shaking houses there on Tuesday, according to local reports.
Shaking began around 1:30 p.m. today and was reported every few minutes for more than an hour throughout the Jersey Shore area.
On Tuesday individuals in South Carolina's Lowcountry along the state's coast took to social media saying they felt an earthquake or sonic boom and that their windows or homes were shaking.
Sonic booms are created when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. It can take up to a minute for the boom to be heard as the pressure wave travels.
A Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station spokesperson said planes were in the air when the boom occurred, conducting exercises 15 to 20 minutes off the coast, according to NBC's WYFF4 station in South Carolina.
It has not yet been identified if New Jersey's tremors were caused by a sonic boom or another factor. The U.S. Geological Survey has posted on its website that there was not an earthquake in the area and that a sonic boom is often mistaken for earthquakes.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.