Unusual Earthquake Strikes East Coast

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the East Coast earlier today with the epicenter being outside of Richmond in Mineral, Virginia. Tremors were felt all the way from South Carolina up to Ottawa, Canada.

As reported by ABC News:

The earthquake sent people pouring out of office buildings, hospitals, the Pentagon and the State Department. The pillars of the capitol in Washington, D.C. shook. Alarms sounded in the FBI and Department of Justice buildings, and some flooding was reported on an upper floor of the Pentagon as a result of the quake.

Parks and sidewalks in Washington were packed with people who fled their buildings. Police on horseback are keeping people a safe distance from all of the monuments along the National Mall, including the Washington Monument and the new Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Parks Service Spokesman Jeffrey Olson told the Associated Press that there was "absolutely no damage" to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial or other tourist destinations along the Mall.

While people usually associate earthquakes with the West Coast, as seen by today's event, the East Coast (and Central US for that matter) are still at risk.

ABC News coverage:

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