Earthquake reported west of Richmond, VA
Posted: Mon May 05, 2003 7:14 pm
A moderate earthquake rumbled through central Virginia today. According to the National Earthquake Information center the earthquake registered 3.9 on the Richter scale at about 12:32 pm EDT.
The epicenter was located five miles east of the town of Columbia. That is about half way between Richmond and Charlottesville. (The epicenter was reported at 37.75 North; 78.07 West)
The Virginia Tech Observatory also confirms the quake was recorded at 3.9 on their seismograph in Blacksburg. They say the quake was felt "strongly" in the Charlottesville area.
An observer at the Dominion Virginia Power facility at Bremo Bluff, not far from Columbia, reports a "long duration rumble with three aftershocks."
Callers have told the NBC12 newsroom that the quake was clearly felt in Richmond's West End.
There are no reports of damage or injuries.
Diana Noserale with the U-S Geological Survey in Reston says it's not all that unusual for a quake to happen in that area of the state, known as the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, where there's a history of earthquake activity.
Virginia is not know for earthquake activity but has had over 160 earthquakes since 1977. Sixteen percent were felt.
The largest earthquake to occur in Virginia is the 1897 magnitude 5.8 Giles County earthquake. This earthquake is the third largest in the eastern US in the last 200 years and was felt in twelve states. Seismic activity has been known for several decades to be strongest in and around Giles County and in central Virginia.
The epicenter was located five miles east of the town of Columbia. That is about half way between Richmond and Charlottesville. (The epicenter was reported at 37.75 North; 78.07 West)
The Virginia Tech Observatory also confirms the quake was recorded at 3.9 on their seismograph in Blacksburg. They say the quake was felt "strongly" in the Charlottesville area.
An observer at the Dominion Virginia Power facility at Bremo Bluff, not far from Columbia, reports a "long duration rumble with three aftershocks."
Callers have told the NBC12 newsroom that the quake was clearly felt in Richmond's West End.
There are no reports of damage or injuries.
Diana Noserale with the U-S Geological Survey in Reston says it's not all that unusual for a quake to happen in that area of the state, known as the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, where there's a history of earthquake activity.
Virginia is not know for earthquake activity but has had over 160 earthquakes since 1977. Sixteen percent were felt.
The largest earthquake to occur in Virginia is the 1897 magnitude 5.8 Giles County earthquake. This earthquake is the third largest in the eastern US in the last 200 years and was felt in twelve states. Seismic activity has been known for several decades to be strongest in and around Giles County and in central Virginia.