The tremors felt in three Jersey Shore counties on Thursday afternoon were caused by a fighter plane doing test runs over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Friday.

The plane from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland was flying off the coast of New Jersey from 2 to 4 p.m., spokesman Patrick Johnson said. It was cleared to go super sonic, which could generate a ground-shaking sonic boom.

The plane landed back in Patuxent River at 4:39 p.m, Johnson said.

A similar story unfolded on Jan. 28, when residents along the Shore heard tremors from what turned out to be a F-35C. That aircraft can reach speeds up to Mach 1.6 or 1,227 mph and also originated at the Maryland air station.

On Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed there were no earthquakes anywhere near New Jersey.

The Egg Harbor Township-based 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard said it didn't have planes in the air Thursday afternoon.

Atmospheric conditions weren't a factor in why so many felt the earth shake, according to weather experts. At 3 p.m Thursday, Atlantic City reported mostly cloudy skies and a temperature of 53 degrees.

"I don't think weather had anything to do with it," said Matt Potter of Hackettstown-based Weather Works, a private weather forecasting firm. "I think proximity was probably the main factor."

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.