When was the last earthquake in Richmond Virginia?

August 23, 2011
The epicenter, in Louisa County, was 38 mi (61 km) northwest of Richmond and 5 mi (8 km) south-southwest of the town of Mineral…

Did Richmond VA just have an earthquake?

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – At 8:07 AM a Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred just along the VA/NC border in Sparta, NC. This quake is the largest that NC has felt since an M 5.2 quake in 1916.

When did the earthquake hit Virginia?

A Decade of USGS Science and New Perspectives Ten years ago, in the early afternoon of August 23, 2011, millions of people throughout the eastern U.S. felt shaking from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia.

When was the last major earthquake in Virginia?

The largest earthquake to strike Virginia recently occurred on August 23, 2011. A magnitude 5.8 quake was centered near Mineral, Virginia (followed by a 4.5 aftershock) in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone. In 2003, a 4.5 magnitude quake had struck nearby in Goochland County.

Where was the 5.8 earthquake in Virginia?

5.8 earthquake hits Central Virginia around Mineral. RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – There was an earthquake in Central Virginia that measured 5.8 on the Richter scale centered about 5 miles south of Mineral in Louisa, depth 3.7 miles at about 1:51 p.m.

Why was there an earthquake in Virginia in 2011?

After the earthquake, several websites speculated about whether hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for natural gas production could have caused or contributed to the quake. There were not any fracking operations in Virginia at the time of the quake.

How big was the earthquake in mineral VA?

The earthquake had a 3-part rupture: 1) first, a small initial rupture at about 8km depth, 2) then, 0.75 seconds later a larger subsequent rupture, which accounted for about 60% of total energy release, 3) and finally, a smaller rupture 1.75 seconds after the onset of the earthquake.

Why was there an earthquake in West Virginia?

After the earthquake, several websites speculated about whether hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for natural gas production could have caused or contributed to the quake. There were not any fracking operations in Virginia at the time of the quake. The nearest fracking was occurring in the Marcellus shale in West Virginia.