Return to story

Earthquake rumbles across region

December 9, 2003 12:00 am

quake_map400

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia was shook by an earthquake Tuesday that sent office workers out of their trembling towers but apparently caused no damage, officials said.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado confirmed an earthquake of a magnitude of 4.5 shortly before 4 p.m. and was attempting to determine the extent of the disturbance.

Residents in Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Northern Virginia and central Virginia reported feeling tremors.

Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management was collecting reports from jurisdictions around the state. It had no reports of damages or injuries.

At the Virginia State capitol, workers officials and reporters scrambled from the building after about 10 seconds of rumbling so pronounced that the walls and windows could be seen shaking.

The rumbling was barely audible at first, but progressed to almost a mild roar and the shaking could be felt on through the floors.

Outside the capitol people huddled in small clusters. Portions of the capitol are 200 years old, and it’s built on a two-centuries-old brick foundation.



Copyright 2012 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.