BREAKING: EARTHQUAKE IN DC

[Dalton]

BREAKING NEWS - EARTHQUAKE IN DC

No details as of yet. I just saw it happen in MSNBC's DC studio.

[El Moose Monstero]

5.8 claims BBC Breaking News, but no report yet.

[Daltonator]

5.8 magnitude centered around Mineral, VA - effects felt in NJ, Manhattan and other areas.

[Lonestar]

5.8 magnitude centered around Mineral, VA - effects felt in NJ, Manhattan and other areas.

It woke my ass up. In fact, cat was on bed staring at me and I thought I might have finally snapped(as it was much larger of a quake then the one we had last year), until I looked outside and noticed neighbors running out of the building.

[Alferd Packer]

People felt it here up in Manhattan, though the only real indication I had that something was amiss was that the hanging lights in our office were swaying, like they do when it's really windy.

[FireNexus]

We felt it in Philly. First time I've ever felt an earthquake, actually.

[Soontir C'boath]

People on Long Island and myself in Queens (:P) felt it. Went on for about half a minute or so. Only thing I bothered to do was go out on the balcony only to see a guy walking on the street as if nothing was happening.

[Vaporous]

5.8 magnitude centered around Mineral, VA - effects felt in NJ, Manhattan and other areas.

It woke my ass up. In fact, cat was on bed staring at me and I thought I might have finally snapped(as it was much larger of a quake then the one we had last year), until I looked outside and noticed neighbors running out of the building.

Same. shook me out of bed in New York.

[ChaserGrey]

Felt in Philadelphia. Shook the whole building I was in and freaked me right the fuck out, I can tell ya.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Felt it here in Beverly, WV too.

[Ryushikaze]

In Chapel Hill we had only some minor vibrations. Apparently, it was a bit more pronounced nearer the mountains.

So, what practice or policy do you think the looneys will claim caused this one?

[AMT]

No one in Lexington KY felt it, but apparently other parts of the state did, as did some in Cincinnati.

[Themightytom]

I felt it in NH while I was sprinting down a flight of stairs. I have now proven to my coworkers that I am not drunk.

[Ritterin Sophia]

So, what practice or policy do you think the looneys will claim caused this one?

My votes on gays in the military.

[Stravo]

At first I thought it was the LIRR that runs behind my building but then the whole apartment started to creak and make weird noises and the floor beneath my feet was really unsteady. We grabbed the baby and my daughter and prepared to bolt but it subsided. Very freaky experience. That was my first Earthquake.

[Lord Zentei]

I haven't seen much on this yet, but there's this:

(CBS/AP)

WASHINGTON - A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City.

The quake sent hundreds of people spilling into the street a block from the White House, with other buildings evacuated in North Carolina and tremors felt as far away as New York City.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.

The Pentagon was later deemed safe for reoccupation.

EDIT: ABC has slightly more:

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted the East Coast, rattling people from Martha's Vineyard to Washington, D.C. to North Carolina and led people to flee several federal buildings.

The earthquake sent people fleeing from office buildings, hospitals, the Pentagon and the State Department. The pillars of the capital in Washington, D.C. shook.

The quake was felt as far north as New Hampshire.

The epicenter of the quake was near Mineral, Va., 35 miles from Richmond, Va., and 85 miles from the nation's capital. The quake was 3.7 miles deep. The epicenter is very close to two Dominion Power nuclear power plants.

A woman who works at Mineral Barber Shop in Mineral, Va. said that the inside of her shop is a mess but there doesn't appear to be any major damage outside the town square.

People in the New York Times building on 42nd street in Manhattan said they felt the entire building shift, and watched office furniture move. As the tall buildings in New York swayed, people ran out into the street.

The New York City Criminal Court in lower Manhattan was also evacuated.

In Washington, D.C., a woman serving jury duty said saw dust fall from surrounding buildings.

Reports of cell service outages have been reported.

A man eating lunch in Charlottesville, Va., described his house tipping and plates shaking as he ate lunch.

[Frank Hipper]

No one in Lexington KY felt it, but apparently other parts of the state did, as did some in Cincinnati.

Ja, felt it here just north of Cincy; first earthquake I've felt in many years, after a second or two I thought, "Naw, that's not an earthquake, this chair's just a bit wobbly."

[Lonestar]

So, what practice or policy do you think the looneys will claim caused this one?

My votes on gays in the military.

[eion]

USGS Event Log

Felt it in Northern VA, of course. Thought someone was using construction equipment near me. Filed my "Felt it" report with the USGS, love watching that map light up.

[ChaserGrey]

Thanks for the link eion, it was pretty cool filing my report.

Right after it happened somebody said there had been an earthquake in Colorado, and I thought, "Oh my God, two at once? What the hell could cause that over that much distance?" Of course, the Colorado one was this morning, but my mind went into sci-fi mode and was imagining some mega-disaster or improbable superweapon.

...

In my defense, this was about sixty seconds after the shaking stopped and I was still pretty freaked. Sanity returned shortly thereafter.

[Spice Runner]

Everything started creaking or shaking in the house here in central NJ. Strange sensation. I've never been in an earthquake before.

[The Vortex Empire]

We felt it all the way up here in Rhode Island, though it was just a little shaking.

[LadyTevar]

@ work, felt like the office prankster had snuck in and shook my computer chair. Little freaked no one was in the cube with me. 5min later we get the news and people start freaking out and trying to evacuate

WV State Capitol (2miles east) did evac, but we were told to stay in place. Wonder if we'll feel any aftershooks?

[Ryan Thunder]

Felt it in my office in Toronto. A bit of shaking, but it was gentle enough that I didn't think anything of it until somebody else pointed it out.

[Zaune]

So, what practice or policy do you think the looneys will claim caused this one?

Nothing appears to have fallen down, caught fire or exploded so they'll probably wait for that hurricane I saw mentioed briefly on the news earlier today.