Earthquakes Have Rattled Virginia Since George Washington’s Day
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While major earthquakes on the U.S. East Coast are rare, the area around yesterday’s 5.8-magnitude temblor near Mineral, Virginia, has rocked noticeably since at least George Washington’s day.
A February 1774 quake knocked houses off their foundations in Petersburg and Blandford, suburbs of Richmond, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The towns are about 62 miles (100 kilometers) from yesterday’s epicenter. An 1828 shock in southwestern Virginia, felt in Washington, caused President John Quincy Adams to liken it to the heaving of a ship at sea.