WASHINGTON (AP) — A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia forced evacuations of all the monuments on the National Mall in Washington and rattled nerves from Georgia to Martha’s Vineyard.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half a mile deep and centered near Louisa, Va., about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated.
Chris Thomas, a recent University kinesiology graduate, was at work in Easton, Pa., when the earthquake hit.
“I was sitting in the office when the ground started shaking,” Thomas said. “At first, I thought the shaking was due to construction