Updated (3:15 p.m.)—An earthquake shook buildings and rattled nerves in Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties and across the East Coast this afternoon.
The epicenter of the 5.9 magnitude quake was Mineral, VA, near Richmond, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It started just before 2 p.m.
Some students in Anne Arundel County were reportedly instructed to take cover under their desks during the quake, which happened just before high schools dismissed at 2:05 p.m so high school students were evacuated shortly thereafter and put on the buses.
According to a written statement released just before 3 p.m. from Bob Mosier, schools spokesman for Anne Arundel County, all school buildings were evacuated and students are re-entering as buildings are being cleared. Mosier also confirmed high school buses were dismissed on a normal schedule and middle and elementary schools should dismiss at the normal times. All activities for Tuesday night to be held at county school buildings (including after-school child care and athletics) are canceled as a precaution.
As of 2:30 p.m., state police received no reports of serious injuries, but troopers were on patrol across the state to check for injuries to citizens and major damage, according to a news release.
Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.
Al Banks
First in Texas, then Colorado, then Arkansas and now in the mother lode of natural gas deposits under the surface of our state which mother nature has stored for eons, drillers are fracking and nabbing the gas and leaving a trail of earthquakes where nothing even near this size has occurred. The quakes were so numerous in some places where no quakes had happened in decades that they finally put a stop to it in the South.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SURVIVED-Virginia-Earthquake-t-shirt-VA-MD-DC-PA-/120767949215?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item61cc7f95e3 before they're sold out!!!!!