Post by CC_Varmints on Aug 23, 2011 14:45:38 GMT -6
Quake centered in northern Virginia felt along East Coast
Washington -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 made buildings and residents tremble from the Carolinas to New England Tuesday afternoon. No major injuries were immediately reported from the quake, which closed monuments and parks in the nation's capital and sent shock waves up and down the East Coast.
"It's one of the largest that we've had there," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones. Aftershocks are a concern, she said. "People should be expecting (them), especially over the next hour or two," she added.
No aftershocks had been reported by 3:40 p.m. ET.
The quake, which struck at 1:51 p.m., was shallow -- just 3.7 miles deep -- and was located 88 miles southwest of Washington and 58 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia, the USGS said. The magnitude was initially reported as 5.8, then revised to 5.9, and then revised again back to 5.8.
The North Anna nuclear power plant, which is the plant closest to the epicenter, was shut down and in a safe condition, a company official reported. There has been no release of nuclear material, Reidelbach said.
The FBI evacuated its buildings in Washington and New York, but people were returning to the 40-story New York facility by 3 p.m. At the Pentagon, police announced that anyone inside could "shelter in place" while security and emergency personnel checked the building for damage. Shortly thereafter, Pentagon workers who had left the building were allowed to return to their offices.
The White House and adjacent buildings evacuated as a precaution following the earthquake were later given the all-clear, the U.S. Secret Service said.
A number of other buildings were evacuated, as far away as North Carolina and New York, witnesses reported.
Did you feel it flowtown???
Washington -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 made buildings and residents tremble from the Carolinas to New England Tuesday afternoon. No major injuries were immediately reported from the quake, which closed monuments and parks in the nation's capital and sent shock waves up and down the East Coast.
"It's one of the largest that we've had there," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones. Aftershocks are a concern, she said. "People should be expecting (them), especially over the next hour or two," she added.
No aftershocks had been reported by 3:40 p.m. ET.
The quake, which struck at 1:51 p.m., was shallow -- just 3.7 miles deep -- and was located 88 miles southwest of Washington and 58 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia, the USGS said. The magnitude was initially reported as 5.8, then revised to 5.9, and then revised again back to 5.8.
The North Anna nuclear power plant, which is the plant closest to the epicenter, was shut down and in a safe condition, a company official reported. There has been no release of nuclear material, Reidelbach said.
The FBI evacuated its buildings in Washington and New York, but people were returning to the 40-story New York facility by 3 p.m. At the Pentagon, police announced that anyone inside could "shelter in place" while security and emergency personnel checked the building for damage. Shortly thereafter, Pentagon workers who had left the building were allowed to return to their offices.
The White House and adjacent buildings evacuated as a precaution following the earthquake were later given the all-clear, the U.S. Secret Service said.
A number of other buildings were evacuated, as far away as North Carolina and New York, witnesses reported.
Did you feel it flowtown???