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COMM 361 Virginia Earthquake website

On Aug. 23, 2011, a magnitude-5.8 earthquake rattled the Piedmont region of Virginia at 1:51 p.m. The epicenter was in Louisa County, 38 miles northwest of Richmond.

Aftershocks

There have been a number of aftershocks since the initial August 2011 earthquake. Most recently, a magnitude-3.1 aftershock struck near the epicenter on March 26, 2012.

Damages

While damages caused by the earthquake were in general very minor, some left lasting effects.

Reaction and Response

The social media reaction to the earthquake was immense. Most people in this area had never before experienced such a strong earthquake, which lead to some startling reactions.