Did You Feel the Earth Move?

An earthquake that hit Virginia at 1:51 p.m. Tuesday sent shockwaves up and down the East Coast and surprised many Montclair residents, some of whom had never experienced an earthquake before.

Did you feel that? people turned to one another and asked. Reports were rampant on Facebook and Twitter of folks feeling the earth move all over the East Coast.

United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake measured 5.8 on the Richter scale (downgraded from original reports of 5.9) and originated about 34 miles northwest of Richmond, Va., near the towns of Louisa and Mineral. The earthquake caused evacuations of both the Capitol Building and Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

“People are on guard for terrorism.  Some people’s first thought is terrorism,” commented Thomas Diveny, Deputy Chief of the Montclair Fire Department. 

Diveny said even there were even some evacuations at the Montclair Township Municipal building.  “Some people at 205 [Claremont Avenue] self-evacuated.  The third floor felt it more than other floors.”

The USGS classified the quake in the New York metro area as a category IV which has "light shaking" and "no damage."

“It was like a 50-50 situation; some people felt it some didn’t,” said Diveny.  “It was a little scare for some people, and others were like, ‘I don’t know what everyone’s talking about’.”

“My computer screen was swaying, desk shaking, and the house trembling at two distinct times, once for about 30-40 seconds, then again for about 15-20 seconds,” said Montclair resident Mary Lou Johnston of Inwood Avenue.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported and there are no reports of damage to the state’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, dams, reservoirs, power grids, transit systems and nuclear power plants, according to a

But for those who felt it, it certainly was the talk of the town.

Lieutenant Kenneth V. Miscia, Jr. of the Montclair Police Department said, "We had no damage as a result of the earthquake," but Detective Sgt. Anthony Dippold at the Livingston Police Station recalled, “We felt the building shaking . . . actually, it felt like it was swaying a bit.  I’ve never felt an earthquake before.”

Lynne Ranieri of the Millburn Short Hills Historical Society was at the museum at the train station when she felt it.

"I first heard the roof and rafters creak and groan and thought a freak wind gust hit us. It continued and I began to feel a little swaying/dizziness, with louder creaking," she said.

"Because of where we are, along the tracks, my next thought was that it was from some massive train accident not far from here, or that our underground pipes were about to rupture. When the swaying became more intense, I ran outside and knew then that it was an earthquake. 

"What a stomach-turning experience when that dependable, solid earth beneath your feet turns to swaying jello," she said.

In Maplewood, Rod Hernandez tweeted under "Luke's Kitchen" that "Within seconds the entire room was undulating as only an earthquake will do. It made the mirrors ripple like water."

A South Orange resident described the shake like a team of football players up on his roof -- dancing.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the effects of the earthquake across the Garden State. There were few reports of damage to any infrastructure in the state.  

Roadways, bridges and tunnels all seem to be intact. Mobile phone service was unavailable for many users, but preliminary indications are that this disruption was due to an extremely high call volume generated by users.  

Although aftershocks cannot be ruled out, the distance from the epicenter would indicate that there is no great concern for New Jersey residents, the state Office of Emergency Management said.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) reported no operational or safety issues as a result of the earthquake.

Quakes of this magnitude are uncommon, but not unheard of in New Jersey. For a history of quakes in the Garden State, click here.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Association, New Jersey ranks low on the list of states at risk for experiencing an earthquake.

 Earthquake hazards are measured as the likelihood of experiencing earthquake shaking of various intensities, according to FEMA. Northern New Jersey is put in a category that's low on the list and described as "having a hazard shaking of moderate intensity."

The USGS is asking those who felt the earthquake to fill out an online survey to assist their information gathering.

A Facebook page for Earthquake in Fredericksburg 2011 has been created by Patch for people to share stories. You can see that here.

To see the USGS map, click here.

Chris Nesi, Mary Mann and Linda Federico-O’Murchu contributed to this report.