Central Virginia is struck by a mild earthquake felt in Loudoun County and more

News to know valley graphic created by Royal Broadcasting employee Brooke Greene used by permission

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports an earthquake out of central Virginia was felt in Loudoun County and Arlington.

The quake was recorded May 6 at 1:08 p.m. and was initially reported as a 2.8 but upgraded to a 3.0.

If you felt the earthquake the USGS would like you to report it here.

The quake was recorded just north of Farmville Virginia in Buckingham County.

So far people as far away as Leesburg, Culpeper, along with Arlington felt it according to WTOP.

The official USGS shake map shows that the temblor was widely felt in Charlottesville, and Stafford as well.

The epicenter was in Buckingham County about 12 miles from Farmville and 40 miles from Charlottesville.

The quake occurred not far from the Central Virginia Seismic Zone.

That is the same fault line responsible for the 5.8 earthquake that struck in 2011.

So far there have been no reports of injuries or damage in the May 6 earthquake.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Two small earthquakes rattle Virginia including some reports in Front Royal

Two small earthquakes struck central Virginia January 13 and 14 with some reporting feeling it in Front Royal.

Governor Youngkin acknowledged on social media January 14 that his team was aware of a 2.8 earthquake that struck Central Virginia.

The governor’s team was working with the local government of areas affected to assess the impact.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that the first quake occurred just before 5:30 p.m. January 14.

The 2.8 earthquake’s epicenter was recorded about a mile north of Wyndham, about 6 miles north of Short Pump Virginia.

The earthquake occurred just under 10 miles from Glen Allen.

Interactive maps indicate that about 500 people felt the earthquake according ABC affiliate WJLA.

Some of the earthquake’s affect could be felt as far north as Front Royal and Fairfax County according to WTOP.

Some of the most impacted areas were the Powhatan County to Richmond areas according to the USGS.

At the time of  the latest report there was no damage or injuries recorded.

Then on January 15 the USGS reported that at approximately 2:50 a.m. a 2.3 earthquake struck the same region.

The USGS reports that earthquakes in Virginia have been recorded since 1774 and are felt at least once every year or two.

The most significant earthquake was the August 2011 5.8 earthquake that struck Mineral Virginia.

That earthquake was felt from the Carolinas to Canada and caused some damage but no injuries.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Drought warning remains in effect

Although Tropical Storm Debby brought some much-needed rain to Clarke County, offering temporary relief to lawns and streams, the drought warning remains in effect.

Groundwater levels in the county continue to be notably low, as revealed by well gauges.

According to a USGS study, only one inch of every three inches of precipitation effectively replenishes the water table.

Current conditions still fall short of normal groundwater levels, meaning the drought warning advisory is still in place.

Residents are encouraged to practice voluntary water conservation, particularly those dependent on private wells.

It’s crucial to understand that one rainfall event does not resolve drought conditions; sustained precipitation over the fall and winter is necessary to significantly impact groundwater supplies.

For the latest updates from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Drought
Monitoring Task Force, visit this link.

For detailed information on groundwater levels and trends, go to this link.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Virginia Tech and USGS research sinking cities along East Coast

Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey recently completed a study on the East Coast’s rising sea levels and sinking coasts.

The study confirmed that some major cities are sinking as much as 5 millimeters per year, a decline which outpaces the global sea level rise.

The researchers used data points measured by satellites to create highly accurate digital terrain maps that show exactly where sinking landscapes present a risk to infrastructure.

They then used that information to create the world’s first high resolution depictions of land subsidence, or sinking.

Population centers like New York City, Long Island, Baltimore, and Norfolk have seen rapidly sinking land which increases the risk for issues with roadways, runways, building foundations, rail lines and pipelines.

To view the full report, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Minor earthquake rumbles Stuarts Draft

The United States Geological Survey detected a 2.2 magnitude earthquake approximately 2 miles northwest of Stuarts Draft on Sunday at 6:20 pm.

According to the reported data on the USGS website, the quake was felt by more than 20 people.

This is the first earthquake in Virginia since July.

No injuries, damages, or power outages were reported, but the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department did receive several calls from residents who believed the earthquake was a possible explosion in the distance.

The Sheriff’s office and fire department investigated the reports before the announcement regarding the earthquake was made available to first responders from the USGS.

Magnitude 2.2 earthquakes are usually not felt but are recorded using seismographs.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

A series of earthquakes strike Virginia over the weekend

A series of earthquakes was recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Sun. and Mon. May 29 and 30 in Virginia.

The first was recorded Sun. just past 7 p.m. and registered 2.3 on the Richter Scale.

The second struck just past 2 a.m. Mon. May 30 also registering 2.3 on the Richter Scale.

The third quake struck Just after 4 p.m. Mon. registering 1.7 on the Richter Scale.

All three earthquakes were recorded in Louisa County just east of Fluvanna County.

Last Mon. May 23 another 2.3 earthquake was recorded in Fluvanna County.

This is the same area where the 5.8 earthquake was recorded in 2011.

The 2011 quake was felt from Northern Virginia to Richmond.

There was no reported injuries or damage recorded in last weekend’s series of earthquakes.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

USGS records an earthquake in Virginia

The United States Geological Survey (USGS)  recorded a 2.3 magnitude earthquake Mon. May 23 at 8:15 a.m..

The quake struck in Fluvanna County with the nearest populated area of Columbia a little over a mile and a half away from the epicenter.

Columbia is approximately 25 miles from Charlottesville.

The depth of the quake was recorded at approximately 6 and a half miles.

Since at least 1774 people in central Virginia have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones.

One of the largest most recent earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 occurred in 2011.

There was no damage reported in the quake Mon. May 23.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

USGS confirms a Virginia earthquake

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirms that an earthquake struck Hanover County Tuesday afternoon around 3:30.

The 2.4 magnitude quake took place just north of Richmond in Ashland Virginia.

According to the seismic data the quake spanned approximately 10 miles approximately 5 miles deep.

This is a relatively mild earthquake that had little to no effect on the nearby North Anna Power Plant according to an ABC News report.

That report also confirms that no damage was reported to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Earthquake strikes Bedford County

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a 2.3 earthquake in Bedford County Virginia last night Feb. 9.

Current data does not indicate whether it was man made or a natural earthquake at this time.

Reports of windows rattling and houses shaking with some residents reporting a loud boom have been recorded.

ABC news reports that Bedford County has rattled before with man made explosions but that has not been determined to be the case in this instance.

The last time this occurred in Bedford County was Nov. of 2020 and that was confirmed to be a man made tennerite explosion.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.