Virginia was rattled by a 5.8 earthquake (initially estimated as a 6.0). I had never experienced a quake before. It was terrifying because it was so shallow.
IIRC, it was felt as far west as Utah! At least according to the USGS "did you feel it" map. I remember that kitten Rory hid for two days. My former church in Fredericksburg had $30,000 in damages. The National Cathedral in D.C. will never be fully repaired.
West Coast folks may mock us for being so scared, but A: We rarely get big quakes. The largest ever East Coast quake was in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1885. And B: Quakes here tend to be very shallow and are felt over a wider area.
Mineral, Virginia, the epicenter,
was a mess. No one died, and I don't think there were any injuries, but it wasn't something we could forget easily. At my house, the only damage was a couple of shattered wine glasses and picture frames knocked off kilter. Or so we thought. Mom and Dad's well had damage that gradually worsened until last summer. It had to be totally replaced.
IIRC, it was felt as far west as Utah! At least according to the USGS "did you feel it" map. I remember that kitten Rory hid for two days. My former church in Fredericksburg had $30,000 in damages. The National Cathedral in D.C. will never be fully repaired.
West Coast folks may mock us for being so scared, but A: We rarely get big quakes. The largest ever East Coast quake was in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1885. And B: Quakes here tend to be very shallow and are felt over a wider area.
Mineral, Virginia, the epicenter,
was a mess. No one died, and I don't think there were any injuries, but it wasn't something we could forget easily. At my house, the only damage was a couple of shattered wine glasses and picture frames knocked off kilter. Or so we thought. Mom and Dad's well had damage that gradually worsened until last summer. It had to be totally replaced.