5.8 magnitude earthquake. There was a lot of chatter generated
by it, probably disproportionate to the magnitude of the event.
There were a few news items that might be of interest to some of
you. First, contrary to initial reports, there was some building
damage in Virginia and the DC area, including the collapse of
finials on the National Cathedral's main tower. Second, PhysOrg
explains why the earthquake was felt over such a large area,
from Georgia north to Quebec and west to Wisconsin. Scientific
American has a list of the top ten East Coast earthquakes.
Finally, here is an interesting bird-related note from the
National Zoo: The first warnings of the earthquake may have
occurred at the National Zoo, where officials said some animals
seemed to feel it coming before people did. The red ruffed
lemurs began “alarm calling” a full 15 minutes before the quake
hit, zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson said. In the Great Ape
House, Iris, an orangutan, let out a guttural holler 10 seconds
before keepers felt the