Virginia Earthquake Rocks DC
Hey, Washington, DC was just rocked by an earthquake! The tremor hit at 1:51 PM today, and the earthquake detail page on USGS shows an initial magnitude of 5.8, epicenter near Mineral, VA, somewhere between Richmond and Charlottesville. Twitter is alight with reports of shaking felt from down the Carolinas all the way up to Canada, and as of 2PM the streets around many buildings around Downtown DC are still teeming with people who fled buildings at the initial shock. The source of the earthquake was fairly shallow, just 6 km underground, which explains why the tremor was felt over such a wide area.
Metro is currently limiting trains to 10-15 mph while the tracks are checked for kinks.
Did you feel it? Where were you and what did you do?
Comments
21 Responses to “Virginia Earthquake Rocks DC”
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:20 pm
I was in the Holocaust Museum doing research. Now I’ m outside with a ton of people with helos & cop cars out and about.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I work from home in Atlanta GA and I felt it here. My desk and computer were shaking and then suddenly stopped.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:25 pm
husband is in Canton, OH, he called and said they felt it, his chair moved!
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:25 pm
I didn’t feel it personally, but I heard people in Franklin Park, PA (northern Pittsburgh, PA) felt the tremor.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:28 pm
No longer an earthquake virgin! I was on the 10th floor of the National Press Building, and did the stairs in a new record best (something like 10 secs flat).
Oh, and let me personally thank the person who was freaking out behind me and nearly pushed me down the stairs around the 8th floor. Glad you got out those few seconds faster; really made the difference between life and death (as in mine).
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:33 pm
I was in Fredericksburg, VA when my house started shaking and stuff on walls starting coming off. I thought it was the constuction of new homes behind me but when I looked outside and saw no workers and it kept going I was like, “WOW, this is an earthquake????”
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Yep..really felt it here in Richmond, Virginia for a good 15 secs…had to evacuate the building…all is good now : )
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
I was in my office on the 17th floor in Rosslyn (Arlington, VA). The building shook so bad that I crawled under my desk for a little while, as I thought the ceiling lights might fall. That was super scary. At first I thought it might have to do with the blasting for the new Metro entrance, but it only took seconds to confirm via Twitter that it was an earthquake. Really, really scary! There are lots of people still milling about on the streets here.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
It was felt here in Conway, SC and surrounding areas.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:35 pm
I was pretty frightened by the quake. I thought the house was collapsing or something. Luckily nothing happened (except that my cell phone stopped working).
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Working in an office on 16th Street – felt the building shaking and we all evacuated. 16th Street buildings (north of the White House) all cleared out, but things seem back to order.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:40 pm
I am in Chesapeake VA. and I definitely felt it. The house started shaking and my dogs were going nuts. Called my boyfriend and he thought I was crazy…until he heard the news and he called back to apologize and ask if I was ok. Whewww that was weird.
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:45 pm
A few shakes here on 23&M.
Offtopic, related:
North Anna nuclear plant was near the epicenter and has been shut down due to an “Unusual Event” (which is the LOWEST entry on the Emergency Scale). Can’t wait to see that story get blown out of proportion…
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Felt it in Florence SC. Does anyone know that magnitude of the after shocks in SC?
August 23rd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
[...] We Love DC [...]
August 23rd, 2011 at 3:04 pm
I was driving at the time and my car always shakes like hell, as if reentering the atmosphere, so I missed the whole thing, except for Kojo Namdi describing it during his show on WAMU. I feel like the one guy in a crowd who doesn’t understand the joke but laughs anyway.
Beautiful Girlfriend felt it up in Laurel, MD, and they rapidly exited the low-rise building she works in.
Who wants to get a mint julep with me and celebrate surviving this disaster?
August 23rd, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I was in the office at my desk in Stockbridge, GA (South of Atlanta). My desk monitors started rocking and I thought, I must have been shaking my foot and realized I was not. My office plant and window blinds started rocking. Then others collegues on the flood noticed the same thing. This was a very wierd feeling!!!!
August 23rd, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Yawn… 5.8? those are fun, things move around. Really gets exciting when above 6.6 to 7.0 in my experience.
August 23rd, 2011 at 3:34 pm
[...] Virginia Earthquake Rocks DC [...]
August 23rd, 2011 at 4:30 pm
My chair moved while sitting in it, in Wellington, Ohio. Was not surprised when the earthquake
announcement came on TV
August 23rd, 2011 at 10:00 pm
felt it up here in marshburg pa. things didnt move though. it was very wave like. felt like a wave of energy moved thru. swayed thru. everything swayed. abosolutely the strangest feeling ive ever felt.
take out the scary…and it was the most amazing feeling.