# Did we just have an earthquake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 23, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803 "2011-08-23T17:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/41 "2011-08-23T18:15:42Z")
I felt it too! Detroit, here. I was sitting in my chair and it started bouncing up and down. My first instinct was “Earthquake?” and my other guess was that I was bouncing subconsciously. I rarely ever do that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/42 "2011-08-23T18:15:44Z")
We had to evacuate my office building (MD) but they have now let us all back in. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/43 "2011-08-23T18:16:05Z")
My wife called and said she felt it in Boston. I didn’t feel a thing in Providence, but I’m sort of vibrating and overcaffeinated anyways… ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/44 "2011-08-23T18:16:57Z")
How awesome was that? In the Hudson Vally of New York here (just shy of an hour north of The City). Tiny rumblings but not rumblings. I asked my wife (we work in our home office together) to stop shaking. She insisted she wasn’t. Made her look at the ceiling fan’s chords that were moving and asked WTF was that then? Er, not in an accusatory way, but out of curiosity. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/45 "2011-08-23T18:20:13Z")
> **[Magnitude-5.8 quake rocks East Coast](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/08/apparent-earthquake-rocks-washington-dc-area/1)** > > A magnitude-5.8 earthquake centered near Mineral, Va., struck much of the Mid-Atlantic area and East Coast. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/46 "2011-08-23T18:20:36Z")
That’s just the warmup for the Irene apocalypse this weekend. After that, we can expect the usual suspect plagues of locusts, frogs, pestilence, etc. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/47 "2011-08-23T18:20:56Z")
Here too! In upstate NY. We are about 3 hours north of The City. Amazingly weird! We evacuated the building but we’re back in now. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/48 "2011-08-23T18:21:29Z")
30 minutes west of Columbus, OH and I feel like I missed out. We got nothin, but apparently buildings in Columbus were evacuated. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/49 "2011-08-23T18:21:42Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Why didn’t I feel it? 😕 KYW is beating the topic to death. That’ll make up for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/50 "2011-08-23T18:23:14Z")
Wow, that was kind of cool. Here in NC I was like " . . . wait, am I moving? Maybe that wasn’t just a big gust of wind creaking the house!" Weirdly, this is the second earthquake I’ve experienced - the first was in \*Connecticut \*in the '80s! ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/51 "2011-08-23T18:23:26Z")
I felt it too in southeastern PA. Heh, and there’s a job interview taking place in the conference room across the room – if the poor guy wasn’t nervous enough… ---
**Author:** ![MattProle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed8c4c/32.png) [@MattProle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattProle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/52 "2011-08-23T18:23:35Z")
We all felt it here in a Power Plant in NJ.We seem OK. Need to check the equipment obviously. Has there been documentation of anyone hurt by this? ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/53 "2011-08-23T18:23:52Z")
Felt it in North Jersey too. Thought I was having a heart attack. When realized was not, left building. Now back at work ☹ Seriously: scariest shit evah. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/54 "2011-08-23T18:24:10Z")
No one here in our office in Rockland County felt a thing - we’re pretty close to the Palisades, which I guess are pretty stable. But our office in Bergen county felt it. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/55 "2011-08-23T18:28:10Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > The office is shaking here in Northern VA. Are we having an earthquake? It lasted about 30 seconds so it wasn’t a car crash or something like that. I could feel it here in Herndon, VA. The office just kinda shook for a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/56 "2011-08-23T18:29:10Z")
Have friends in Ottawa and Detroit who felt it ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/57 "2011-08-23T18:29:51Z")
> [@neckred](#): > > Felt here in South Carolina too. :eek: I work in Georgetown, SC felt a little shudder here ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/58 "2011-08-23T18:31:14Z")
Just spoke by phone with my sister’s SO in Lancaster, PA. They felt it there. ---
**Author:** ![MattProle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed8c4c/32.png) [@MattProle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattProle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/59 "2011-08-23T18:31:30Z")
CNN reported that estimates are that there is a less than 78% chance that there has been even a single fatality due to this shake. That’s reassuring, and I’m happy to have experienced such a benign earth quake! ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803/60 "2011-08-23T18:31:38Z")
In Bethesda, MD (Wash DC). Felt it pretty damn good… 6.0 - upgraded [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-we-just-have-an-earthquake/593803.md?page=4)