A 5.9 earthquake originated in Mineral, Virginia, Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Tweets began pouring in from D.C. nearly 30 seconds before we felt the quake at our headquarters in New York City and well before any reports about the quake emerged from the media.
It’s not yet clear how far the earthquake spread, although an early user-generated map gives an idea of where it has been felt. On Twitter, witnesses are saying that tremors have occured as far south as Atlanta, Georgia, and as far north as Toronto, Canada.
The Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and New York City Hall were temporarily evacuated. (UPDATE: Contrary to earlier reports, the Pentagon was not evacuated, says The Washington Post.) Call service is reportedly down in D.C.; we’re experiencing similar problems with AT&T cell service in New York, no doubt because of sudden clogging. No physical damage has yet been reported. (UPDATE: A spokesperson for the National Cathedral in D.C. has confirmed that “at least three pinnacles on the central tower have broken off.”)
And, of course, more than 7,000 people have checked into the Earthquakepocalypse venue on Foursquare in New York City at the time of writing.
View “East Coast Earthquake” on Storify
Image courtesy of Flickr, humbertomoreno
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Posted on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:40:53 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/uktGKzY2thc/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/23/virginia-earthquake/#comments
Tweets began pouring in from D.C. nearly 30 seconds before we felt the quake at our headquarters in New York City and well before any reports about the quake emerged from the media.
It’s not yet clear how far the earthquake spread, although an early user-generated map gives an idea of where it has been felt. On Twitter, witnesses are saying that tremors have occured as far south as Atlanta, Georgia, and as far north as Toronto, Canada.
The Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and New York City Hall were temporarily evacuated. (UPDATE: Contrary to earlier reports, the Pentagon was not evacuated, says The Washington Post.) Call service is reportedly down in D.C.; we’re experiencing similar problems with AT&T cell service in New York, no doubt because of sudden clogging. No physical damage has yet been reported. (UPDATE: A spokesperson for the National Cathedral in D.C. has confirmed that “at least three pinnacles on the central tower have broken off.”)
And, of course, more than 7,000 people have checked into the Earthquakepocalypse venue on Foursquare in New York City at the time of writing.
View “East Coast Earthquake” on Storify
Image courtesy of Flickr, humbertomoreno
For more Social Media coverage:Follow Mashable Social Media on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Social Media channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:40:53 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/uktGKzY2thc/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/23/virginia-earthquake/#comments
