CNN says they were shaking in DC Washington Bureau. Also apparently felt in NY and Ohio.

OHHH, Yeah... That was weird. A rolling rhythmic shaking. NEVER felt one before. Thought it might be construction, but W2 had it too, 10 miles away. Also for the past 45 minutes, Ellie has been barking at the door. WOW!

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... lqe6x3.php

This is the page that wll have the latest info -- 34 miles from Richmond.

(As a Californian, earthquake links are at my fingertips.)

My partner is telling me on IM that the people at the Pentagon thought it was a terror attack and evacuated.

Congress and Pentagon evacuated. They are saying the first fear was it was a bomb or other terrorist attack.

It's just a HAARP test ... making sure everything's working before The Obly gets to file again ...

CNN also reporting cell phone disruption in NYC and Maryland.

Some reports are it was a 6.0. My thoughts are with the people on the east coast. Without hardened buildings and structures such a quake could be devastating depending on the length and type of the movement. Right now it appears to be just a sharp shock and not the rolling events we are used to on the Left Coast.

CNN also reporting 3.7 miles deep, which they say is shallow, may be infrastructure damage.

Not only cells but land lines as well in Maryland at least.

Yeah, can't get Mom in PA, dead air on land and cell.

Ok, that was fucking scary. No more, please.

Seismologist on CNN says expect significant aftershocks in next hour or so.

News Alert: Earthquake epicenter was near Mineral, Va.
August 23, 2011 2:06:52 PM
----------------------------------------

Earthquake epicenter was near Mineral, Va., 87 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/ ... K5V2N/ID/h

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,

At first I thought that I should really cut down on the scotch......

Tremor in NYC, few buildings evacuated out of an abundance of caution, no injuries, cellphone and land lines were over loaded for a short time.

Lets see how long it takes to turn up on Dr K(H)ates......

Unless this quake was a foreshock.

It looks like there was another quake in that area (4.5) a few years back. That was also a shallow quake, and there have been other quakes on the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the past. It's not a common event, but not hugely rare.

I'm not surprised that the quake was felt as far away from the epicenter as it was. The basement rock out there is pretty hard, and transmits seismic energy more efficiently than the more battered left coast rocks do. In the 1800s, there were some magnitude 7-8 quakes out in Missouri that reportedly caused church bells to ring in Philadelphia.

Hope everyone out there is safe, and that pulse rates are dropping back toward normal.

In an office on the 15th floor along the NY/CT line. I have to say I didn't expect that. I didn't even think the east coast got earthquakes having moved from California this is my first experience here. The floors were shaking, plants in offices were moving. Pretty much all work was stopped. I looked down and people were on the street leaving the office.

I've changed the thread title to reflect the upgrade.

It'll probably be a day or two before a final magnitude determination is made.

We're still waiting for "the big one" on the left coast.

Have a friend in the middle of Connecticut. He didn't feel a thing. I just IM'd him to ask how he liked teh earthquake.

There are reports that it was also felt in Martha's Vineyard. The Seismologist explained that the rock on the East Coast is "crusty and cold" and thus the quake is felt more of a widespread area than, say, CA.

Not to make light -I've lived through many of these puppies - but isnt the epicenter near where Deano lives? Could this be divine retribution for his sins?

Now that you know this may happen, you should designate one person out of your state (although it sounds like this was felt miles away, through several states) to be the giver and receiver of communication. My SIL in Nebraska is ours. One call immediately after the event should get through before everything shuts down.

It's OK. I'd much rather live through one of those than a hurricane or tornado. There may be aftershocks. Get into a door frame. Do not go outside. Flying bricks can be painful.

Ps. Could this be partially due to fracking weakening the substrata?

There was a huge one in Charleston, SC when I was about 125 years younger than I am now.

I'm in Stamford and I sure as hell felt it. They closed off Newark and JFK airports.