Hopewell Fault

Hopewell Fault

The Ramapo Fault zone is a system of faults between the northern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont areas to the east. Spanning more than 185 miles (298 km) in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, it is perhaps the best known fault zone in the Mid-Atlantic region, and some small earthquakes have been known to occur in its vicinity. Recently, public knowledge about the fault has increased, especially after the 1970s, when the fault's proximity to the Indian Point nuclear plant in New York was noted. Some seismologists have argued that this fault has the potential to produce a major earthquake, but earthquakes are scattered throughout this region, with no particular concentration of activity along the Ramapo fault. Thus, others have argued that the Ramapo Fault has not been demonstrated to be any more active than any other fault zones in the greater New York City area.

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