The Philadelphia area was hit with aftershocks of a 5.8 magnitude earthquake Tuesday, Aug. 23 around 1:55 PM. Centered 34 miles northwest of Richmond, Va., the East Coast felt aftershocks from North Carolina all the way up to Martha’s Vineyard in the state of New York. The actual earthquake lasted around 45 seconds.
Unfamiliar with earthquakes, the quake triggered an early rush hour from commuters in Center City. Workers in the glass tower Comcast building, the city’s tallest skyscraper, were sent home.
Septa trains were restricted to 25 mph and Philadelphia International Airport instituted a “ground stop” under which all flights into the city were delayed until grounds crew inspected the runways.
Citizens Bank Park was evacuated, but members of the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets teams remained inside the park.
Philly.com reported the earthquake was probably the strongest quake in central Virginia since a 4.8 tremor in 1875.
Reports flooded the Twittersphere and Facebook pages seconds after the initial quake. No injuries have been reported.
