Mild Earthquake Reported in Virginia
WASHINGTON - Startled East Coast residents from North Carolina to Maryland were shaken Tuesday by an earthquake (news - web sites) that registered a preliminary magnitude of 4.5.
The U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites) said the quake occurred about 28 miles west of Richmond — 104 miles south-southwest of Washington. There were numerous reports from people who felt it in three states and the District of Columbia.
Geological Survey spokeswoman Carolyn Bell said there were no immediate reports of damage.
The earthquake occurred in the central Virginia seismic zone, Bell said, a region where quakes have occurred in the past.
The quake occurred at 3:59 p.m. EST and was shallow, at about 3 miles below the Earth's surface.
While quakes are more common in the West they do occur in Eastern states from time to time.
The largest quake in Virginia history took place in Giles County in 1897. It was felt from Georgia to Pennsylvania, some older brick houses were cracked and bricks were thrown from chimneys in the area from Pulaski to Roanoke.
On Feb. 21, 1774, a strong earthquake was felt over much of Virginia and southward into North Carolina. Many houses were moved partly off their foundations at Petersburg and Blandford.
More recently, parts of southwestern Virginia were shaken in 1959.
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