Magnitude 5.8 earthquake in Virginia felt up and down U.S. east coast, Pentagon evacuated

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 

Shakemap of the quake
Image: USGS.

A 5.8 earthquake struck 4 miles southwest of Mineral, Virginia, 80 miles south of Washington D.C., at 1:51 p.m. EDT (17:51 UTC) and lasted for 15–30 seconds. The quake had a magnitude of 5.8 with an epicenter 27 miles (43 km) east of Charlottesville, Virginia. A 2.8 aftershock was reported at 2:46 pm EDT (18:46 UTC).

According to Twitter reports, the quake was felt inland as far as Cleveland and Toronto and along the coast from Boston to Georgia. Police sergeant James Ryan, from South Brunswick, New Jersey stated that "The 911 line is flooding with calls right now. People want to know what happened. They want to know if there was an explosion."

The United States Capitol and The Pentagon in Arlington were evacuated, as were police headquarters and city hall in New York City. Numerous minor injuries have been reported in Washington, D.C.; however, none of them are serious. There have been confirmed reports of damage at the Washington National Cathedral and the Smithsonian Castle. The Pentagon was also damaged when a burst pipe caused flooding. The North Anna Power Station lost offsite power and had to shut down, turning to four diesel generators to maintain cooling of the facility. Both the JFK and Newark airports were briefly shut down and the control towers were evacuated. A release from Amtrak stated that trains will be operating at reduced speed, but no damage has been found on any rail lines. The Washington Metro is also operating on reduced speed, with some stations closed down, while lines are evaluated.

In Boston, it was reported that the building at 111 Devonshire Street appeared to be leaning onto the adjacent building at 50 Milk Street, with fears that it could collapse. The street was blocked off while the Boston Fire Department investigated. However, it was determined that the buildings had always appeared like that. Nevertheless, the Boston Fire Department investigated the roof and the inside of 111 Devonshire St. After 30 minutes, the building was determined to be safe.

This is the second strongest earthquake to originate in Virginia since records have been kept, after the one recorded on May 31, 1897, near Giles County, which was estimated at a magnitude of 5.9.

The Dow initially dropped 50 points after the earthquake struck, but later increased over 100 points.

The Pentagon was evacuated moments after a 5.8 earthquake was felt throughout the US east cost.
Image: U.S. Navy.

A crowd of evacuated businesspeople on Wall Street in New York City.
Image: Alec Tabak.

Federal employees evacuated buildings at 13th and C Streets in Washington, D.C.
Image: US Department of Agriculture.

The office of the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, D.C. was also evacuated.
Image: Antonio Zugaldia.

Building occupants evacuate onto Market Street in Philadelphia.
Image: Douglas Muth.

Damage to the Embassy of Ecuador in Washington, D.C.
Image: William Neuheisel.

People gather on Vermont Avenue, outside the headquarters of the US Department of Homeland Security, in Washington, DC.
Image: Tim1965.

A building in McLean, Virginia sustained some damage to its ceiling.
Image: Claire Schmitt.

A crowd of evacuees in McLean, Virginia.
Image: Claire Schmitt.

After the earthquake, there were concerns that 111 Devonshire St. in Boston appeared to be leaning onto the adjacent 50 Milk St with fears it may possibly collapse. It turned out the buildings have always appeared like this.
Image: Patrick Mannion.

Sources

• The CNN Wire. "Quake hits near Washington, D.C." — CNN, August 23, 2011
• "Magnitude 5.8 - VIRGINIA 2011 August 23 17:51:03 UTC" — USGS, August 23, 2011
• Helen Kennedy. "5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Virginia, shaking felt in New York City" — New York Daily News, August 23, 2011
• AP. "5.8 Earthquake in Virginia Felt in Washington, New York City, North Carolina" — ABC News (United States), August 23, 2011
• Melissa Bell. "Earthquake rattles Washington, East Coast" — The Washington Post, August 23, 2011
• Douglas Stranglin. "5.9 magnitude quake rocks East Coast" — USA Today, August 23, 2011
• Star-Ledger Staff. "Earthquake rocks New Jersey and New York" — New Jersey.com, August 23, 2011
• Reuters. "Strong earthquake shakes Ontario, eastern U.S." — Calgary Herald, August 23, 2011
• Timothy Kelly. "History of Earthquakes in Virginia" — ForexTV, August 23, 2011
• Bill Meck. "More on the Virginia Earthquake" — LEX18.com, August 23, 2011
• Tennille Tracy. "Virginia Nuclear Plant Loses Power After Quake" — Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2011
• Mark Memmott and Eyder Peralta. "5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles East Coast" — NPR, August 23, 2011
• Christine Hauser. "Stocks Rise on Economic Signals" — New York Times, August 23, 2011
• Fox News, AP. "Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Hits Virginia, Sends Shockwaves Throughout East Coast" — Fox News, August 23, 2011
• "Magnitude 2.8 - VIRGINIA" — USGS, August 23, 2011
• Carolyn Pesce and Gary Strauss. "Earthquake rocks East Coast" — USA Today, August 23, 2011

• "Metro Earthquake Update 2" — Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, August 23, 2011

• Carissa DiMargo. "Damage Reports Around the Area" — NBC Washington, August 23, 2011

• Benjamin Swasey. "Boston Feels Effects Of Virginia Earthquake" — WBUR, August 23, 2011

• "Va. quake causes confusion at Boston building" — WHDH, August 23, 2011