I was sitting here a few minutes ago, suddenly felt a jolt, like someone dropped something heavy on the house. Then everything started rattling. Not very furious, but I could tell it was an earthquake because of that initial P-wave hit, then the shaking. Looks like it was centered between Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia. Pretty big for this area. Looking to be around 6 magnitude. Wow. Never experienced that before. Bitter’s mom said it was pretty noticeable down there. I would have slept through it here, but being awake, I definitely felt it.
My California readers can feel free to laugh at me, marveling at the novelty of a little earth movement. Now we’ll watch the news media descend into hysterics at the “Earthquake of the Century!”
UPDATE: Here some pictures of the devastation that has descended on DC.
UPDATE: Since quakes are rare around here, I wasn’t sure what it was at first. If you checked the sky for mushroom clouds, just in case, raise your hand. Reports are the quake released about 10 kilotons of energy. That’s about a terrorist sized nuke, if you didn’t notice the flash.
UPDATE: A strong spirit from DC residents as they deal with the shock and horror “We Will Rebuild”
UPDATE: Marko reminds us of the important questions during this crisis.
See. California exports all kinds of bad things!
5.9. Psshah.
-Gene
Quakemaggedon!!
Representing the Pacific Northwest here. Puget Sound has 3 tectonic plates converging. It’s not so much that we can have bigger quakes than CA, but there are more ways for them to be triggered. Think we should also get bonus points for our volcanoes.
I left a voice mail with family in NC, just asking if they felt it and are OK.
We may be screaming over the earthquake, but Southern Californians scream when the temperature drops below 70 or when it rains for more than a day.
Atlas hiccuped.
No biggie. It’s just part of Obama’s high-speed rail plan. He’s gonna shorten travel times between New York and D.C. by moving them closer together.
George Bush, Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party were at fault for the quake.
It was definitely interesting. I work in a big concrete box on an Army base in the area. It was enough to shake the building. Needless to say, the contractors hanging from the outside of the building were less than thrilled.
I didn’t even notice it. My first clue was somebody on my rescue squad listserv sending out an email saying “The quake was a 5.8” (what they were calling it at the time. The first thing that ran through my head was “What earthquake?”
Oddly enough, I think I’m closer to the epicenter than you are.
I’ll let my mom speak up for herself when she gets home as to what she felt in Roanoke, but I know she felt it.
I understand that Congress is in emergency session to pass a bill Banning Earthquakes on Federal Land.
It was all the debt instruments falling over at once that did it.
When everything started shaking a bit, I was on the phone to someone in California. Then I started noticing the room and my chair shaking. It was kind of a “huh?” moment which quickly passed.
As to being below 70, it was about 55 here this morning. Brisk but still shirt-sleeve weather. Much better than being 85 or higher to start the morning!
Local news stations are in full ZOMGWAGD!
First thought: They’re blasting at the quarry.
Second thought: Maybe the magazine went up?
Third thought: Oh, earthquake.
Fourth thought: This is one long quake.
Fifth thought: It’s not stopping! Did New Madrid just pop?
The cat was the only casualty here. A vase fell on her while she was napping. She was fine though, just miffed.
Welcome to California! :-) Glad nobody dropped their beer, but it’s really no joking matter.
Don’t know anybody in SoCal but we have finally hit an 89-degree day up here among the Bay-Aryans – it’s been a cruel cool summer…
Just wait until a month goes by and you’re quietly ensconced in your cubicle and a fat person goes galumphing down the corridor and the shaking sets-off an internal alarm. That’s the real aftershock-effect.
It’s just plate tectonics, and certainly nothing new to that.
I blame Bush.
I work in Salem, VA and our building was shaking and when the bookcases were rattling, I looked out the window to see what big auto was outside causing that much movement of a building and when I didn’t seen anything it occurred to me we’re having an earthquake. It was one of those things that you ask yourself after it’s over, did this just really happen. No damage that I am aware of at our house but there have been a few reports just north of us that some pictures on walls fell.
So it was “not very furious”, but was it “fast”?
Actually, it shook for a bit longer than I would have expected. Maybe a good half minute. First half the minute was just “What the hell is going on,” then once it was “Oh wow… it must be an earthquake,” I started to hit the USGS website to see where it was.
So I would have to say it was not very fast, or very furious. I’d hate to be in a furious one. Not enough to knock pictures off the wall… that’s for sure.
I meant first half of the half minute… so 15 seconds. We’re not used to the earth shaking in these parts.