Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Virginia

Region's largest tremor in recent history hit northwest of Richmond

The seismically sleepy mid-Atlantic states were struck by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on August 23. At 1:51 p.m. EDT on Tuesday an earthquake struck Virginia, 135 kilometers southwest of Washington, D.C. It’s among the largest temblors to strike the state in recorded history.

The quake’s epicenter was located in central Virginia about 61 kilometers northwest of Richmond, at a preliminary estimated depth of 6 kilometers.