5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Washington DC Area
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck near Washington, D.C., the U.S.Geological Survey said. The epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia . Did you feel it? Send CNN an iReport . CNN’s political producer Peter Hamby was vacationing with his family near Mineral and said he felt the shaking for 45 seconds. “It’s one of the largest that we’ve had there,” said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones.Aftershocks were a concern, she said. “People should be expecting (them), especially over the next hour or two,” she added.The quake was felt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York City and on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where President Barack Obama is vacationing. Cell phone service has been disrupted in New York City part of which has been evacuated. Traders in the New York Stock Exchange felt the shaking and shouted to each other, “Keep trading!” CNN’s business correspondent Alison Kosik reported from the floor at 2:20 p.m. E.T. Just for perspective on the magnitude, the second-largest quake recorded in that area was last year, and was a magnitude 3.6, centered near Rockville, MD. Damage appears to be light at this time, but Fox has reported concerns about the Washington Monument tilting. More as it’s available.
5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Washington DC Area
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on August 23, 2011. Filed under