Panic and confusion was triggered in Washington D.C. Friday morning by a mild earthquake in Maryland that would make Californians yawn. The D.C. earthquake caused no property damage or traffic delays, and also the trains ran on time. But thousands of people called emergency switchboards following the ground rumbled and buildings wriggled for about 10 seconds. {There was no word of fighter jets scrambling or members of the executive branch being hustled to an undisclosed location|Evidently there was no need for fighter jets to scramble or to send the President to his bunker|No reports surfaced of fighter jets scrambling or politicians running for their bunkers.
Media feasts on mild earthquake in Maryland
The effects of the earthquake were considered mild, but they were magnified exponentially by the media because it affected Washington D.C.. MSNBC reports the U.S. Geological Survey said the D.C. earthquake struck at with a magnitude of 3.6 on the Richter scale at 5:05 a.m. ET. The epicenter was near Rockville, Md. The USGS said residents reported rumbling within the D.C.-area, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
D.C. earthquake risk not significant
The D.C. earthquake was not “something out of the ordinary,” a geophysicist who was not shocked with the USGS told the Washington Post. However she did say that quakes measuring above 3 are extremely rare in this area. The quake was the largest measured within the area since 1974, when the database was created to track seismic activity. Before Friday’s jiggle, Vaughn said a 1993 2.7 Richter scale temblor was the largest. According to USGS earthquake data, a 2.6 tremor in registered 1990 and 2.5 shivers showed up in 1997, 1993 and 1974.
Earthquake sounded like a jet crashing
More than 6,700 people had reported the quake on the USGS Web site within about two hours of the earthquake in Maryland. One witness told CNN the quake woke him up sounding like a jet crashing outside his bedroom window. CNN also interviewed a woman named Judy Rudolf who said the quake sounded like an explosion. The USGS said it was possible that smaller aftershocks might hit the area however they will die out in a couple of days.
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