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2011 Virginia earthquake: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 37°56′10″N 77°55′59″W / 37.936°N 77.933°W / 37.936; -77.933
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[[be:Землетрасенне ў Вірджыніі, 2011]]
[[be:Землетрасенне ў Вірджыніі, 2011]]
[[de:Erdbeben in Virginia 2011]]
[[de:Erdbeben in Virginia 2011]]
[[en:2011 Virginia earthquake]]
[[en:2011 east coast earthquake]]
[[es:Terremoto de Virginia de 2011]]
[[es:Terremoto de Virginia de 2011]]
[[fr:Séisme de 2011 en Virginie]]
[[fr:Séisme de 2011 en Virginie]]

Revision as of 17:37, 25 August 2011

2011 Virginia earthquake
Epicenter is located in the United States
Epicenter
Epicenter
UTC time??
Date *17:51:03 UTC, August 23, 2011[1] 
[[Category:EQ articles using 'date' or 'time'
(deprecated)]]
Magnitude5.8[1]
Depth6 kilometres (4 mi)[1]
Epicenter37°56′10″N 77°55′59″W / 37.936°N 77.933°W / 37.936; -77.933
TypeEarthquake
Areas affected United States
 Canada
Max. intensityVIII (severe)[2]
* Deprecated See documentation.

"The 2011 Virginia earthquake was a magnitude 5.8 (Mw) intraplate earthquake in the U.S. state of Virginia on August 23, 2011, at 1:51 PM EDT (17:51 UTC). The focus was 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Richmond and 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the town of Mineral, Virginia, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).[1][3] The earthquake was along the Spotsylvania Fault, an ancient fault line that now sits in the middle of the North American plate.[4] Four aftershocks happened within twelve hours of the main earthquake. The aftershocks had magnitudes 2.8, 2.2, 4.2 and 3.4.[5][6][7][8] About 35 hours after the main earthquake, a sixth aftershock of magnitude 4.5 occurred.[9]

There are very few strong earthquakes in the U.S. east of the Rockies. According to the USGS, this was only the second magnitude 5.8 in the last last 114 years. The other was the 1944 quake on the NY-Ontario border.[10][11] The largest earthquake was in 1897. That one was centered at Giles County, Virginia. One USGS source estimated its magnitude as 5.9 (Mw).[12] Another source, a USGS Professional Paper and the Virginia Tech geology department, estimated its magnitude as 5.8 (Mw).[13]

Impact

Press reports show that the earthquake could be felt a long distance away from its center. To the south, the earthquake reached Atlanta, Georgia;[14] and to the north, the earthquake reached Quebec City, Quebec.[15] To the west, the earthquake reached Illinois[16] and to the east, the earthquake reached Fredericton, New Brunswick.[17] Damage was reported as far away as Burlington, New Jersey.[18]

United States

The Pentagon was evacuated moments after a 5.8 earthquake was felt throughout the East Coast of the United States.

Earthquakes are rare in the eastern United States. So, many buildings there are not built so strong that earthquakes cannot damage them. In Washington, D.C., the White House,[19] the Capitol building and other buildings were evacuated. In Arlington County, Virginia, a pipe in the Pentagon broke. The pipe flooded two corridors. The Pentagon used an emergency plan put into place after the September 11 attacks to evacuate.[20] Other buildings were evacuated in Philadelphia, Boston and New York City.[21][22][23][24]

Soon after the earthquake, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airplanes to stop flying along the East Coast. This is called a ground stop. The Air Traffic Control tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport was evacuated. Flights were delayed at several airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.[25] At the National Airport, ceiling tiles in the airport terminal fell to the ground, and flights stopped.[26][27][28] Washington Metro trains were delayed and run at reduced speeds of 15 miles per hour. This allowed engineers to see if the rails were damaged.[29] Just after the earthquake, many people made cell phone calls. This tied up the AT&T and Verizon Wireless networks. People could not start phone calls for at least 20 minutes.[30]

Buildings in the Washington, D.C. area had minor to moderate damage. In Temple Hills, Maryland, people were evacuated from two damaged apartment buildings. Video posted online showed cars crushed by bricks which fell from a building wall in Tysons Corner, Virginia.[31] The quake damaged three of the Washington National Cathedral's four pinnacles (corner spires) and cracked some of the Episcopal church's flying buttresses. However, buttresses that support the central tower, a prominent part of the city skyline, look normal.[32][33] The National Park Service found cracks near the top of the Washington Monument. The monument is closed indefinitely.[34] The earthquake knocked off four of the six spires atop the Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The pieces fell to the ground along with several pieces of marble from the temple's outside wall.[35]

Fallen chimneys and other structural damage to buildings was reported in Mineral and the town of Louisa, Virginia.

The two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station, 11 miles (18 km) from the epicenter, shut down automatically.[36]

In New York state, people everywhere in the state felt the earthquake more or less. Governor Andrew Cuomo said the State Office of Emergency Management had no reports of damage to buildings or infrastructure. There were some disruptions, including building evacuations and delays at airports. Amtrak trains arriving and departing from Penn Station were also delayed.[37]

Damage in New Jersey was minor. The state Emergency Management office reported two gas leaks in Gloucester County, with no reports of injuries from either leak. Temple B'nai Israel in Burlington was damaged. This synagogue building dates to 1801. The damage to its roof caused water damage. About 20 bricks fell onto a nearby car. In Camden, an empty house partially collapsed. Government buildings were evacuated, with city workers given the option of returning home for the day. No infrastructure was reported damaged.[18]

In Boston, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported no injuries or damage. Some Boston buildings shook. The U.S. District Court in South Boston was evacuated and the University of Massachusetts Boston cut summer classes short and sent all workers home early. No damage was reported at Logan International Airport, and most buildings were not evacuated. Boston firefighters were dispatched to 111 Devonshire Street in downtown Boston to "investigate reports that the building had started to lean after the tremor," but fire officials said that "according to the building manager and city inspectors, the building always looked that way."[38]

In West Virginia, the Kanawha County Courthouse, the West Virginia State Capitol campus, and several other buildings in downtown Charleston were evacuated. Kanawha County dispatchers received more than 350 calls in 45 minutes but there were no reports of damage to buildings and infrastructure other than minor plaster cracking in the old courthouse. Part of a chimney collapsed at the county courthouse in Philippi in Barbour County. The West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training stated that West Virginia coal mines were safe following the tremors.[39][40]

In Ohio, people left the Huntington Center for a short time.[41] People on the upper floors of the Rhodes State Office Tower and the Vern Riffe State Office Tower also reported feeling strong shaking.

In Delaware, the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington and Family Court in Georgetown were evacuated. The press said that blocks fell to the street from the steeple of St. Thomas the Apostle Church. DelDOT crews were sent to all parts of the state to inspect many bridges and roadways including interstate highways and the Indian River Inlet Bridge.[42]

In Pennsylvania, people were told to get out of office buildings in Philadelphia.[43] People were also told to get out of the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown.[44] Also, SEPTA Regional Rail trains could only go 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) while tracks were checked for damage and PATCO Speedline trains were also stopped for a short time even though there was no damage. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation checked bridges for damage. There was no damage to the bridges over the Delaware River owned by the Delaware River Port Authority.[45]

Canada

Eastern Canada also felt the earthquake, mostly in Southern Ontario, as well as parts of Quebec and the Maritimes. A few buildings in Toronto were evacuated. Officials took steps to prevent harm in places far from the center of the earthquake, including Sudbury and Windsor, Ontario.[46][47] No accidents or damage from the earthquake were reported in Canada.[48]

Social media

According to Facebook, the word "earthquake" appeared in the status updates of 3 million users within four minutes of the quake. Twitter said users were sending up to 5,500 tweets per second. This rate of messages was faster than during the death of Osama bin Laden. It was almost the same rate as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[30]

Other pages

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Magnitude 5.8 – Virginia". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Pager– M 5.8– Virginia". United States Geological Survey. 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Earthquake strikes US east coast, felt all the way down in Orlando, FL reported by KCNSEN". BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "5.9 earthquake in central Virginia felt across East Coast". Hamptonroads.com. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "Magnitude 2.8 – Virginia". Earthquake.usgs.gov. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  6. ↑ "Magnitude 2.2 – Virginia". United States Geological Survey. 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Magnitude 4.2 – Virgnia". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Earthquake, aftershocks rattle Northern Virginia". insidenova.com. 24 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "Magnitude 4.5 - VIRGINIA". Earthquake.usgs.gov. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  10. ↑ "Largest Earthquakes by State, List of Earthquakes". USGS. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Historic United States Earthquakes Sorted by State & Date". USGS. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Historic Earthquakes". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  13. ↑ "SEISMICITY OF THE UNITED STATES, 1568-1989 (REVISED) by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman (USGS Professional Paper 1527, 1993, pages 376-378)". Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Mag 5.8 earthquake felt in Metro Atlanta". 11 Alive HD. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Need to know". Macleans.ca. 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  16. ↑ "Illinois residents may have felt Virginia quake". chicagotribune.com. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  17. ↑ Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press : (2011-08-23). "Earthquake rattles parts of U.S. East Coast and Canada; no serious injuries". Global Toronto. Retrieved 2011-08-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Joshua Adam Hicks, "Mostly unscathed in New Jersey" (August 23, 2011). Philadelphia Inquirer.
  19. ↑ Harris, Paul (2011-08-24). "US earthquake leads to evacuation of White House". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  20. ↑ "D.C. monuments 'stable' after 5.9 magnitude quake, official says".
  21. ↑ "5.8 earthquake hits Virginia, rattles NYC, east coast". ABC News. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  22. ↑ "5.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes East Coast". The New York Times. August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Delaware Valley Rattled By Earthquake". CBS News. August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  24. ↑ Merrill, Kate (2011-08-23). "Boston-Area Buildings Evacuated After Earthquake". boston.cbslocal.com. CBS Local Media. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  25. ↑ "5.8 magnitude quake rocks East Coast". USA Today. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Earthquake shakes Washington".
  27. ↑ "Earthquake reported along the East Coast". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Quake rocks Washington area, felt on East Coast".
  29. ↑ "Metro Earthquake Update 2".
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Kang, Cecilia (23 August 2011). "Facebook, Twitter report record earthquake messages". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  31. ↑ "Earthquake damage in D.C. will take time to assess". Washington Post. August 23, 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ↑ "D.C. National Cathedral Damaged, official says".
  33. ↑ Dan Gilgoff. "National Cathedral damaged in earthquake" (August 23, 2011). CNN.
  34. ↑ "Park service: Earthquake cracks Washington Monument near its top, closed indefinitely". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  35. ↑ "East Coast quake damages people's nerves and temple spires". KSL-TV. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  36. ↑ "5.9 earthquake rocks Virginia, other parts of East Coast". Richmond Times-Dispatch. August 23, 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  37. ↑ "NY gets tremors but no damage from quake in Va. damage" (August 23, 2011). Associated Press.
  38. ↑ John R. Ellement and Martin Finucane, "Va. earthquake shakes Boston area; no damage reported" (August 23, 2011). Boston Globe.
  39. ↑ Staff reports, "Earthquake in Virginia felt throughout W.Va." (August 23, 2011). Charleston Gazette.
  40. ↑ Taylor Kuykendall Kuykendall, "Southern West Virginia shakes from quake" (August 23, 2011), Register-Herald Reporter.
  41. ↑ "Virginia quake shakes up Columbus" (August 23, 2011). Columbus Dispatch.
  42. ↑ Quake rocks region, buildings evacuated" (August 23, 2011). delawareonline.com.
  43. ↑ Adler, Danny and Laurie Mason Schroeder (August 24, 2011). "Residenrs: Temblor 'bizzare' and 'scary'". The Intelligencer.
  44. ↑ Weckselblatt, Gary (August 24, 2011). "Bucks courthouse evacuated after quake strikes". The Intelligencer.
  45. ↑ Ciavaglia, Jo and Danny Adler (August 24, 2011). "Bucks, Montco rumbles". The Intelligencer.
  46. ↑ "Strong earthquake hits Canada, U.S. East Coast". Vancouver Sun. August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  47. ↑ "5.8 earthquake rattles Canada, eastern U.S." CBC News. August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Virginia earthquake felt across eastern Canada". Toronto.ctv.ca. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
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