TremorsEarthquake shakes U.S. East Coast
A 5.8 tremor shook the U.S. East Coast Tuesday afternoon; the tremor, with its epicenter in central Virginia, was felt as far away as New England; several buildings in New York were evacuated; two reactors in Virginia’s North Anna Power Station were immediately taken off line, and their coolong systems were powered by back-up generators
Seismograph of 5.8 Richter quake // Source: patch.com
A strong earthquake — the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates it to be in the 5.8-5.9 range — has caused two nuclear reactors at Louisa County’s 1,806 megawatt, two-unit North Anna Power Station to be automatically taken offline.
The USGS said the epicenter of the tremor, which shook the Washington, D.C. area a few minutes before 2:00pm EST, was 3.7 miles beneath the rolling hills of central Virginia, less than a dozen miles from the North Anna plant.
The Wall Street Journal reports was informed of the shut down by federal officials, who also said that power was being supplied by four diesel-powered backup generators. The generators are powering the pumps that keep the reactors’ cooling systems within operating norms.
The New York Times reports that the quake – which occurred in an area of old quake activity, but which has not recently experienced strong earthquakes – was felt as far north as New England, and that several buildings in New York City were evacuated.
In Washington, D.C., thousands took to the streets during and after the 30-second quake. The White House and the halls of Congress were evacuated.
Fox News added that “There is reportedly concern that the Washington Monument is tilting.”
