Earthquake centered in Washington, DC area shakes the entire east coast

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter near Washington, D.C. shook the entire North American east coast with reports of tremors coming in from as far away as North Carolina and Toronto! The quake struck right around 1:15 pm Eastern Time and lasted between 30 and 45 seconds.

There have been no reported injuries or serious damage, although the event lead to the evacuation of numerous buildings, including the Pentagon, and even the closing of some major facilities such as JFK airport.

NBC reports that epicenter of the quake was actually nine miles from Mineral, Va., which is 100 miles south of Washington, D.C.

To bring it home to starcasm readers the erthquake was felt all the way from Jenelle Evans (in North Carolina) to Caroline Manzo (in New Jersey)! Here are their Facebook posts about the event:

It’s great to hear that no serious injuries have been reported, especially considering that the east coast is currently preparing for hurricane Irene. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!