Does Washington DC get earthquakes?

Andie Vigliotti
·2 min read
4

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The East Coast trembled Friday morning as a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck Whitehouse Station, N.J.

The rumbles may have reached as far down as D.C., provoking memories of the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that shook the city in 2011.

Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that Friday’s earthquake, which struck at 10:38 a.m., was relatively weak down in D.C. Most of the impact was felt near the New York City region, closer to the earthquake’s epicenter.

Mineral, Va., less than 100 miles from the District, was the epicenter of the Aug. 23, 2011 earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey, which collects self-reported data, says nearly 150,000 people felt it.

Earthquake in New Jersey shakes parts of Northeast

This was the largest earthquake experienced in D.C. in recent years. The next closest earthquake struck in 2010, but only measured at a 3.4 magnitude.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey say that it was caused by activity in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, an area that has “produced small and moderate earthquakes since at least the 18th century.”

The USGS says the largest earthquake before 2011 happened all the way back in 1875 before scientists had invented effective seismographs, which are used to measure the strength of earthquakes. They estimate that it had a magnitude of 4.8.

“Although earthquakes are not frequent in the District of Columbia, it is still possible to experience an earthquake,” according to ReadyDC, a preparedness campaign created by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2017.

The Virginia earthquake caused “widespread light to moderate damage” across central Virginia, southern Maryland and D.C., the USGS said.

The Washington Monument was among the buildings damaged, and it took three years and $15 million in repairs to restore it to its former glory.

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