4.5-Mag Aftershock Rumbles Overnight

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake Tuesday that shook people from Georgia to Canada has produced at least five aftershocks.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake Tuesday that shook people from Georgia to Canada has produced at least five aftershocks, including one at 1:07 a.m. Thursday that clocked in at a magnitude of 4.5 and woke up many people across the D.C. region.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the aftershocks around the central Virginia epicenter had ranged in magnitude from 4.5 to as little as 2.2 since the strongest earthquake to strike the East Coast since World War II.

The one that rumbled early Thursday with a magnitude 4.5 was 3.1 miles deep and was eight miles south of Mineral, Va. -- the site of the first, most-powerful 5.8-magnitude quake. 

Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado, says the number of aftershocks so far has been remarkably low.

Vaughan says the agency isn't sure what to expect, but it's likely there will be some more for days, if not weeks. Typically, the larger the quake, the longer and the greater extent of aftershocks.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us