Purely coincidentally myself, wife, and grand daughter were in a Food Lion within a mile of the center of the quake, Mineral ,Va. 8 miles south of Louisa.Įyewitness account at epicenter from CWG’s Steve Tracton They’re most likely to be felt under the next three or four days.”Īn aftershock of 2.8 on the Richter scale occurred at 2:46 p.m., 5 miles south-southwest of Mineral and a 2.2 magnitude aftershock occurred at 3:20 p.m. “Aftershocks could go on for days, weeks, or even months. USGS’s Blanpied cautioned aftershocks are possible: Useful Links: Virginia’s Largest Earthquakes Virginia Earthquake history More Virginia Earthquake resources Even a magnitude 6 or less earthquake can be felt over a considerably large area, unlike California where the shaking is more concentrated,” said Mike Blanpied, associate coordinator for the USGS earthquakes hazards program. “The rocks are old and cold and they carry the seismic energy very far. as the crust is colder and there are fewer cracks to dissipate the energy. The energy from the quake propagates farther in this region compared to a similar quake in the Southwest U.S.
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Reports on the USGS website indicate that the quake, 3.7 miles deep, was felt from Georgia to southeast Canada (see neat interactive map from Detroit Free Press). earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi). earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. USGS said it was the strongest quake to hit the entire state since the 5.8 magnitude tremor in 1897.Ī magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S.
It would appear today’s quake is the largest on record in that region. Smaller earthquakes that cause little or no damage are felt each year or two. The largest damaging earthquake (magnitude 4.8) in the seismic zone occurred in 1875. Since at least 1774, people in central Virginia have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones. The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory(VTSO) offers the following on earthquake history in the central Virginia seismic zone: The other is an area centered in Giles County in southwest Virginia, which had a 5.8-magnitude quake more than a century ago.
Since 1977, Virginia has experienced 160 earthquakes, of which just 16% were felt according to Virginia Tech.Įxperts say there are two active earthquake areas in Virginia: The one apparently responsible for Tuesday’s quake runs along the James River between Charlottesville and Richmond and is known as the Central Virginia Seismic Zone. In quakes above 4.5 on the Richter scale, buildings begin to fall. Virginia is classified as a “moderate” seismic risk, and has a 10-20% chance to experience a 4.75 quake every century or so.
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