- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Louisa, VA was felt in Ithaca Tuesday. While no emergencies resulted in Tompkins County, it was certainly felt here. Two Lansing Highway Department employees were returning from Lowe's when the quake hit. They said it felt as if someone had jumped onto the bed of their pickup truck.
Easrthquakes are rare in Tompkins County, and the chances of a serious one hitting the area are pretty low. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) there is only a 0.44% chance of a 5 magnitude earthquake hitting the area, and that goes down to a 0.192% of a 5.5 magnitude quake within 31 miles of ithaca in the next 50 years.
The most powerful earthquake within 100 miles of Ithaca was a 4.1 in June of 1991. It was centered 93.41 miles away.
Lansing Highway Superintendent Jack French said this week's quake could be enough to break water mains, though no water main breaks had been reported by late Wednesday afternoon.
"This earthquake we just had moves the water line, so we could have a break," he said Wednesday. "It wouldn't surprise me to have a water main break in the near future."
The USGS reported tuesday's quake as a 'shallow earthquake' in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, about half a mile deep. According to the USGS shallow earthquakes are felt over a wider region. The harder, older rock prevalent in the Eastern United States spread the effect of an earthquake further than younger rock in the west that absorbs more of the shock locally.
The strongest earthquake recorded in that region was a 5.9 in Giles, VA in May of 1897. Tuesday's quake was enough to cause damage to national monuments in Washington, D.C. 100 miles away from the center of the quake. The Washington monument has been closed indefinitely, and other structures such as the National Cathedral have reported damage.
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