The detailed inspection of the exterior stones at the W…
An earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C. and the East Coast. (USGS)
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Though only minor damages have been reported from Tuesday’s …
5.8-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Eastern US
Updated: Tuesday, 23 Aug 2011, 11:22 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 23 Aug 2011, 2:06 PM EDT
Posted By: myFOXDetroit.com Staff
WASHINGTON (NEWSCORE) - A 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled a wide swath of the eastern US Tuesday, forcing at least partial evacuations of the US Capitol building and White House in Washington, D.C. as well as the Pentagon in Virginia.
The earthquake's epicenter was 84 miles (135km) southwest of the capital near Mineral, Va., the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It struck at 1:51pm ET at a depth of 3.7 miles (6km).
The earthquake could also be felt as far away as New York City, Michigan and Toronto. No serious injuries were immediately reported from the quake.
A 4.2 magnitude aftershock followed at 8:04pm ET, which followed earlier tremors measuring 2.8 and 2.2. The secondary vibrations were reportedly felt as far as New York City and Boston.
Within hours of the tremor, it was already being noted as one of the largest earthquakes ever felt in the mid-Atlantic region. The Wall Street Journal, citing the USGS, reported that Tuesday's earthquake was tied for the most powerful Virginia quake ever recorded. The other rival earthquake occurred in 1897.
In a Tuesday evening press conference, USGS geophysicist David Wald estimated that tens of millions of people felt the shaking over about 20 states. He said earthquakes in the eastern US are generally felt over a wide area because the crust of the earth is more rigid and does not absorb energy as well as in the western US.
He noted that the damage was limited because the epicenter of the quake was located in a less populated area, noting that "in some ways, we dodged a bullet."
The rattling was strong enough that pictures hanging in the US Capitol building reportedly fell from the walls, FOX News Channel reported.
The Capitol was evacuated until about 5:00pm, although the building was already emptier than usual due to the congressional recess. The building will be open for public tours Wednesday.
Officials found some cracking in the stones at the top of the Washington Monument, which was closed for evaluation following the quake. The National Park Service will have structural engineers evaluate the cracks Wednesday to determine the best way to repair the Monument before it is reopened.
The Washington Post reported that the tip of a spire on the historic Washington National Cathedral crashed to the ground during the quake. The Wall Street Journal said minor structural damage was also reported around the entire cathedral.
For residents of Washington, D.C., where geologic tremors are rare, the incident brought back decade-old memories of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Politico described several people pointing in alarm to a twin-engine jet approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport over Arlington, Va. According to the political news website, one man shouted, "Not f***ing 9/11 again!"
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, posted on Twitter a description of the strength of the quake as felt from his building at the university in Charlottesville.
"I thought the Pavilion would collapse -- seriously," he wrote. "At first I thought it was an explosion. Pavilion IV on Lawn was swaying. Cracks here and there, broken window panes."
A state of emergency was declared in Culpeper County, Va., roughly 36 miles (58km) from the epicenter, The Journal reported. One person was injured when a building collapsed in the town of Culpeper and three other quake-damaged buildings were condemned, the paper said, citing sheriff department's spokeswoman Corey Byers.
Wednesday's first day of school was canceled in the town in the wake of the quake, local newspaper the Star-Exponent reported, adding authorities had also evacuated 80 inmates from the county jail due to structural damage.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch also noted six students and one staff member at Louisa High School were injured in the quake, with one hospitalized, while in downtown Richmond three elderly residents were hospitalized for medical conditions in the wake of the quake.
In New York City, The Journal reported lamps shaking, computer monitors bouncing and other furniture moving for roughly 10 seconds at its headquarters on Sixth Avenue in midtown Manhattan.
The quake hit just as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. opened a press conference to speak about the dismissal of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's sex assault case. Officials flanking the top prosecutor appeared to lose their footing and, along with members of the press, began to evacuate the briefing room.
New York City Hall was also briefly evacuated, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a brief press conference Tuesday afternoon. Bloomberg noted that calls to 911 and the city's non-emergency helpline 311 spiked during the event. Emergency hotlines were reportedly flooded with calls in Washington, Philadelphia and other cities affected by the earthquake as well. Residents in those areas also reported some cell phone service disruptions amid a surge in phone traffic.
The US Department of Homeland Security took to Twitter to advise
people to use the microblogging site, Facebook and other social media to contact friends and family and avoid making phone calls.
Roughly 550 miles (885km) north of the quake's epicenter in Boston, Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro described the sensation in his corporate building as "stepping onto a boat," the Boston Globe reported.
The quake was also reportedly felt on Martha's Vineyard, the island off Massachusetts where President Barack Obama is vacationing with his family, although the president did not feel the quake when it occurred.
In a statement, the White House said the president was regularly updated on the earthquake and that there were no initial reports of major infrastructure damage or requests for assistance.
FOX News Channel reported that the North Anna nuclear facility, located in Louisa, Va., roughly 10 miles (16km) from the quake's epicenter, was still running after its diesel generators kicked in following a loss of power at the site. The plant was not evacuated, Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the NRC, told FOX.
Flights were reportedly operating into and out of Dulles International, Reagan National and Baltimore Washington Marshall International airports in the Washington, D.C. area.
Bloomberg said flights had also resumed in and out of the three major airports in the New York area -- John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia -- by the time of his press conference late Tuesday afternoon. The control towers at JFK and Newark were both evacuated temporarily by the Federal Aviation Administration as a precaution.
There were reports, however, of residual flight delays throughout the eastern US.
Amtrak also imposed speed restrictions on its train service between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md., plus warned passengers of delays. Normal service resumed later in the evening.
Washington's Metrorail service said its trains would run at 15mph (24kph) until further notice as its 106 miles (170km) of tracks are inspected for damage. The train service warned customers to expect "significant delays" with restrictions expected until at least Wednesday.
There were no reported disruptions to New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority service.
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