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Earthquake Leaves No Damage, Just ShockBy WYDaily Staff Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Bailey, a professor of geology who has studied the Central Virginia seismic zone extensively, said the geologists looked at each other excitedly as a projector swayed above them. As the earth continued to shake for 10, then 15 seconds, they realized they were experiencing something rare. Rather than rush outside to safety, they all pulled out their smart phones and tried to find out where the event took place. They learned that nearly 100 miles away in Mineral, the earth’s crust had released a sudden burst of energy, triggering an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9. It was felt as far north as New York, stretching down the East Coast to North Carolina. Buildings shook, tossing tabletop picture frames and books, but no more damage was reported in the Historic Triangle. The earthquake was the largest to hit Virginia since 1897, when an earthquake shook Giles County, with the tremors felt from Washington, D.C. to Georgia. Tuesday’s earthquake was 25 times larger than the 19th century quake, Bailey said. “We don’t have much experience with the earth shaking for 15 to 20 seconds,” Bailey said. He said it was unlikely that the quake would lead to a larger one. As for aftershocks, he said they’ll be small and “probably fade away.” Earthquakes occur about once or twice a year, almost always in the Central Virginia seismic zone, where the Spotsylvania fault line runs north-to-south. “They’re old rocks and sometimes those rocks break and we can take notice of it,” Bailey said. “Even things that are hundreds of millions of years old are not completely dead.” Neither of Dominion’s two power stations, North Anna Power Station in Louisa and the Surry Power Station, were affected, according to Dominion External Affairs Manager Melanie Beale. The reactors at the North Anna Power Station shut down automatically when the earthquake occurred, but there was no release of radiation, she said. Although no damage was reported, the rarity of the earthquake triggered a strong response from locals, many of whom had never experienced an earthquake. Williamsburg and James City County emergency officials manned the Emergency Operations Center in Williamsburg, fielding calls from residents, most concerned about what had caused the ominous shaking. At Busch Gardens and Water Country USA, rides were briefly stopped for inspections. Transportation was not affected, with service continuing uninterrupted at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. Polling locations, open for voters to cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary elections, remained open. Compared to the last sizable earthquake that rocked Virginia, Tuesday’s effect was more psychologically jarring than physically. “There were no instruments at the time to measure, so what we know is based on eye witness reports and building damage. Construction in the late 19th century was not what it is today,” Bailey said. See a map of the Central Virginia fault lines here. Sam Thrift, Amber Kennedy and Desiree Parker contributed to this story. |
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Chuck Bailey was sitting in a meeting of geologists at the College of William and Mary when he felt the first tremors around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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in VA.