Thursday, August 23, 2012
The earthquake that struck Mineral, Va. in 2011 rippled over to Northern Virginia.
A year ago Thursday, an area known for its political shakeups was shaken by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. The rattling began at 1:51 p.m. with an epicenter in central Virginia, about 84 miles from the Washington, D.C. metro region where many in the midst of their workday felt the shaking. Any damage to the Centreville and Chantilly area was quite minimal, but it was certainly an event that most people will remember for a long time. At Bull Run Elementary School, election officials had to set up the voting booths outside after the quake. There were concerns that the building had suffered some damage, so for safety's sake, voters cast their ballots outdoors. Perhaps the local who might remember the quake most vividly, though, is Barbara …
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Centreville resident Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va. when the earthquake struck. Here are her photos of the earthquake's damage.
Longtime Centreville resident Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va., when an earthquake struck earlier this week. Prescop snapped these photos the day after the quake, which she shared with Patch readers. The epicenter of the quake took place in Mineral, a tiny rural town about 85 miles south of Washington D.C. There were no fatalities, but many of the buildings were severely damaged, according to the New York Times. Hurricane Irene may cause further damage this weekend. "This is the first time I ever looked forward to leaving," Prescop said of her normally serene getaway.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
4.2 magnitude aftershock is the third recorded after initial Tuesday earthquake
Hours after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook Northern Virginia, an aftershock measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale struck the area again, according to the United States Geological Survey. This aftershock, which occurred around 8:04 p.m. according to USGS,was the third recorded today. The first measured 2.8 at 2:46 p.m., followed by another measuring 2.2 at 3:20 p.m. All three aftershocks, as well as the initial earthquake, occurred near Mineral, Va – about 35 miles northwest of Richmond and 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The first two aftershocks were measured to be less than one mile underground; the third was about 4.8 miles underground, USGS data says. So far, no one has reported feeling the shock in Centreville. Patch will update…
Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va. when the quake hit.
Every year Barbara Prescop, a longtime Centreville resident and teacher at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, visits rural Lake Anna by Mineral, Va., for some much-needed rest and relaxation before the summer ends. But on Tuesday, Prescop's normally quiet afternoon walk along the lake with her dogs took an unexpected turn, as the very ground shook beneath their feet. "It was pretty intense," she said. "I was walking up a hill and it was like the ground was rolling. I had to struggle to keep my balance. It sounded like rolling thunder," Prescop said. "It was very loud. The power plant is just around the corner from me so I thought maybe something was wrong with that." Tuesday's earthquake originated in Mineral, Va. and the shock of it …
Mary C. Stachyra
10:00 pm on Sunday, August 28, 2011
Poor Mineral! They just had another aftershock tonight. Magnitude 2.3. more ›