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Earthquake Rattles Virginia Near North Carolina State Line

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The earthquake struck at the orange dot inside the concentric colored circles. Image: USGS
The earthquake struck at the orange dot inside the concentric colored circles. Image: USGS

While the East Coast was dealing with a major blizzard, people near the western Virginia town of Independence were rattled by a weak earthquake last night. According to USGS, at 7:45 pm, from a depth of 8.2 km, a magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck. The earthquake’s epicenter was less than 2 miles north of the state border with North Carolina and about 8 miles away from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

According to USGS, earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or less are rarely felt or heard by people, but once they exceed 2.0 , more and more people can feel them. While damage is possible with magnitude 3.0 events or greater, significant damage and casualties usually don’t occur until the magnitude of a seismic event rises to a 5.5 or greater rated event.

Virginia has a history of earthquakes, although they are generally not as strong nor frequent as in other regions of the United States like California. Virginia has experienced a number of significant earthquakes, including the Mineral earthquake of 2011.

The updated model shows areas in red with the greatest chances of seeing a damaging earthquake over the next 100 years. Image: USGS
The updated model shows areas in red with the greatest chances of seeing a damaging earthquake over the next 100 years. Central Virginia has a somewhat elevated risk to the rest of the Mid Atlantic. Image: USGS

On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Piedmont region  at 1:51 pm. The epicenter, in Louisa County, was 38 miles northwest of Richmond and 5 miles south-southwest of the town of Mineral. It was an intraplate earthquake with a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Several aftershocks, ranging up to a magnitude 4.5 event, occurred after the main tremor.

That 2011 quake was felt across more than a dozen U.S. states and in several Canadian provinces, and was felt by more people than any other quake in U.S. history.  No deaths and only minor injuries were reported. Minor and moderate damage to buildings was widespread and was estimated by one risk-modeling company at $200 million to $300 million, of which about $100 million was insured.