Possible Small Earthquake Rattles Western Richmond Overnight
July 7, 2009 - 1:41 am
By Trevor Dickerson
UPDATE: After we first broke the story shortly after midnight, the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory has confirmed a magnitude 2.3 earthquake occurred at 11:59:52 p.m. with an epicenter near Short Pump. See seismograph below for more information.
Just after midnight, around 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning, something shook Richmond’s West End. From Short Pump to Carytown and all points in between and beyond, we got reports into our Twitter account that something had shaken the ground. I felt it right here myself in Wyndham, too. I’ll take a personal approach on this story for once.
Just back from the scene of live wires that were downed on Pouncey Tract Road, I heard what sounded like a low rumble, similar to rolling thunder. At first, I thought another transformer had exploded down the street at the scene of the downed wires.
Every window in the house rattled and the ceiling fan rocked slightly. The rumbling and vibrations, which felt as if they were in a rolling pattern, lasted for approximately six seconds. After asking if anyone else had felt the rumbling, we quickly got lots of responses.
“Reporting from the Short Pump Mall area, that definitely was an earthquake,” Twitter user “PaulaNQ” (@MentalMakeover) wrote into us. “I’ve felt one here before where the ‘earth moved.’”
“Yes, I felt it – A block from Regency Square Mall,” wrote another user, Chris Harrison (@britinva)
A seismograph from the University of Richmond shows a definite disturbance just after midnight, but the graph at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College in Goochland County (shown below, click here for full size chart) shows a much bigger spike, showing that the epicenter of the supposed earthquake occurred somewhere west of the Metro Richmond area.
Seismic activity could be neither confirmed nor denied by the U.S. Geological Survey at press time, but we’ll follow the story as it develops towards the morning.
Did you feel anything overnight? Send in your comments below!
I was watching TV just around midnight and I heard thunder, which was weird because it didn’t feel like rain. It was a low rumble and lasted a little bit longer than a clap of thunder usually does. Nonetheless, I thought nothing more of it until I woke up this morning to read a friend’s Facebook status referencing the noise as a tremor as confirmed by U of R’s seismograph.
Thanks for posting your story! I couldn’t find any other news about this, and it’s nice to know the actual news is being reported somewhere. Why aren’t other media sources confirming the facts?
That explains it. We were puzzled since there was nothing on the weather radar and assumed that it was my wife’s fat cat chasing his tail on the hardwood floor.
Not sure if it was related, but the neighborhood dogs were all barking like mad just prior to the quake (and getting my dog all riled up). If it weren’t for the dogs, I’m sure I would have slept straight through it.
I felt this as well, right at midnight. My girlfriend also felt it in Midlothian. I’ve read comments online of people in NC, and MD that experienced it as well.
Didn’t feel it but heard the rumble. First thought it was a truck or something but then just went back to sleep.
I’m a pretty sound sleeper and it actually woke me up but thought I was dreaming since I didn’t see anything else reported this AM. Good reporting…
At just after 12:00 this morning I heard and felt what seemed to be an explosion. Have felt an earthquake before and this just did not feel the same.
I live in Wellesley and there was a definite “boom” component to what I experienced. I was expecting to hear news of an explosion of some sort this morning,
[...] Downtown ShortPump is reporting that the rumbling I heard in my house last night , around midnight, was likely an earthquake. “What was THAT?” I said to my husband. I guess, the next thing I should have done, was turn to Twitter, but instead, I went to bed.  Here’s the lowdown from Trevor over at Downtown Shortpump: Just after midnight, around 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning, something shook Richmond’s West End. From Short Pump to Carytown and all points in between and beyond, we got reports into our Twitter account that something had shaken the ground. I felt it right here myself in Wyndham, too. I’ll take a personal approach on this story for once. [...]
Did’nt feel like an earthquake to me… There was no movement, just a rolling explosion-like sound… The sound lasted 4-5 seconds. My wife and I were concerned that it was the audible aftermath of Norfolk and a nuclear round at the ports. The sound rolled as if it were a “fueled” explosion. Nothing moved though, and we live right next to the mall. I’d watch the news for highway closings to DC or Norfolk, then I’ll get worried.
I had just gone to bed and was sound asleep when I felt a jolt under me. I immediately knew that it was an earthquake and rushed to my computer to look at Twitter (yes dumb thing to do if it had been a more intense one). when I didn’t see anything reported, I just chalked it up to a bad dream and went back to sleep.
CBS6 has confirmed that it was a M2.3 earthquake:
http://twitter.com/CBS6/statuses/2514650525
I was awake at the time this happened. Felt exactly like blasting from the quarry behind Wyndham off Ashland Road. Are we sure something didn’t explode there…I doubt they blast at night. But we here in Wyndham feel this kind of thing ALL the time. And it felt just like a blast from the quarry.
My wife and I were watching TV just around midnight and we thought what we heard was thunder, but when we looked out the window there wasnt a cloud in the sky. We also thought that one of our children fell out of their bed. Our dog was also pacing prior to the event. It was a low rumble and lasted a little bit longer than that of thunder.
Now its confirmed….
Really wierd, but at least it wasnt an explosion of some sort.
I knew I wasn’t crazy! I live in Twin Hickory. I was almost asleep when I felt the house shake and heard a loud noise like someone fell in the house. I got up and my husband was sound asleep. I woke him up in a panic that someone had broken in. I couldn’t figure it out and did think about an earthquake, but figured it couldn’t have been.
I felt the one a few years ago that shook much of central VA, but this one felt a bit different…maybe because of being so close to the epicenter or that fact that I was almost sleep. I’m not sure if the noise was from the quake itself or if it was something in my house that fell/shook.
I’m glad to at least know that I wasn’t imagining things.
Right after midnight I heard rumbling like thunder and then a big boom like a big truck had run into the side of my house. I live in Bretton Woods (across from Crossridge) in Glen Allen.
Great job breaking this story!
I was up at the time, and I live south of the mall near Gayton and Lauderdale. The most I heard was some loud rumbling like thunder – I don’t remember feeling any vibration.
I felt in Lakeside. It bothered me for all of 5 seconds after wards but I chalked it up to the trains that run right by my house. I thought it felt like a earthquake though.. I said to myself, “that felt like an earthquake but it must have been a train.” I’m wondering how much attention the news people will focus on this.. they are probably too busy with michael jackson to report real news.
I was in bed half-asleep just after midnight when I heard/felt a rumbling. It got my attention enough that I was wide awake for a while to listen for any further unusual sounds. I guess I really didn’t consider an earthquake since there was no movement or rattling but knew “something” had happened. I’ve experienced 2 very mild tremors in the past, one upstate NY and one here in Richmond a few years back. This was milder and of shorter duration than those two.
Yeah, I called my girlfriend after midnight becuase I thought North Korea had dropped a nuke on Washington DC. haha. Turns out it was just an earthquake…
i was watching tv and i thought a car had crashed into my building
I live near the Food Lion on Lauderdale. Short low rumble, Quick ‘impact’, and house shook like a cinderblock had just been dropped on roof. Much quicker than quake in 07.
I live off of Church and Lauderdale in Short Pump and woke up to my dresser and blinds rattling. My dog also barked once. It happended so fast I thought it must have been a large truck driving by or possibly the firetruck braking to pull into the station. I had completely forgotten about it until I heard it on the news and read your article.
I had just gone to bed and when I laid down I felt what I thought was a shake from an explosion, but I didn’t hear any noise so I just figured it was nothing, but I know I thought “what the h__ was that?” We live in the West End by Hilliard & Lakeside.
I heard a rolling type of thunder sound and then a loud explosion sound at the end of it. It also shook my house pretty good. I thought something exploded right outside or something hit my house. All my neighbors were in the streets looking around. I called the police and they said there were aot of reports and they thought it was some type of “earth tremble” . It scared the H_LL out of me, that’s all I know. I live near Woodman and Mountain Rd.
[...] Twitter after we asked if anyone else had felt the shaking as we did, right after it happened. We broke the story of a possible earthquake just after 1:30 a.m. after gathering data and [...]
I live in Wellesley just off Park Terrace and Lauderdale. That was the loudest BOOM I’ve ever heard! Just one big BOOM. I was very nearly asleep and remember thinking explosion? Big truck wreck? Earthquake? I fell completely asleep sure that it couldn’t be an earthquake because I’d never heard anyone discuss loud booms with earthquakes before!
I heard it last night. Strange thing is, I just heard It again 3 times between 10:30 and 10:45 pm
oh, I forgot. for the above comment, I live on River Road near Tuckahoe Elementary
[...] Twitter after we asked if anyone else had felt the shaking as we did, right after it happened. We broke the story of a possible earthquake just after 1:30 a.m. after gathering data and [...]
I felt it strong. I thought a tree fell in my backyard. Heard a big thud noise and the floor shook. I am within 100 yards to the epicenter!