History of Virginia Earthquakes

The U.S. Geological Survey Virginia is no stranger to earthquakes, but has had none recently.

From the survey:

1774. Feb. 21. Near Petersburg, Prince George County, Va. A sharp earthquake that was felt over much of Virginia displaced houses "considerably off their foundations" at Blandford and Petersburg. Although the shock was severe at Richmond and terrified residents about 80 km north of Richmond at Fredericksburg, it caused no damage at those towns. Several "smart shocks" were reported in parts of Virginia from Feb. 20th to the 22nd. The main tremor rang bells at Salem (now Winston-Salem), N.C. Magnitude 4.5 Mfa NUT. (Ref. 55, 167, 314.)

1833. Aug. 27. Central Virginia. A rather strong shock agitated walls of buildings at Lynchburg (west of Richmond, in southern Amherst County) and rattled windows violently. Fences along the road were shaken near the Louisa County Courthouse, northwest of Richmond. It was described as "severe" at Charlottesville, about 85 km northeast of Lynchburg. Two miners were killed in a panic caused by the tremor at a mine near Richmond. Ref. 179 suggests a MM intensity VI at the epicenter, although no damage was documented. Also felt in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Magnitude 4.5 Mfa NUT. (Ref. 38, 167, 179.)

1852. Apr. 29. Near Wytheville, Wythe County, Va. A severe earthquake that was observed over a large area threw down a chimney near Wytheville, in southwest Virginia, and shook down tops of chimneys at Buckingham Courthouse, about 55 km south of Charlottesville. Houses were shaken violently at Staunton, about 65 km west of Charlottesville. A brick was shaken from a chimney as far south as Davie County, N.C. Also felt in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Magnitude 4.9 Mfa NUT. (Ref. 38, 55, 86, 167, 508.)

1852. Nov. 2. Central Virginia. Chimney damage occurred at Buckingham, about 55 km south of Charlottesville. This earthquake was reported to be "quite strong" at Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Scottsville. At Scottsville, where every house in the village was shaken, water in the canal was "troubled," and boats were tossed to and fro. Magnitude 4.3 Mfa NUT. (Ref. 55, 167.)

1875. Dec. 23 (Dec. 22). Central Virginia. The highest intensities from this earthquake occurred mainly at towns near the James River waterfront in Goochland and Powhatan Counties, and in Louisa County. In Richmond (Henrico County), the most severe damage was sustained in the downtown business and residential areas adjacent to the James River or on islands in the river. Damage included bricks knocked from chimneys, fallen plaster, an overturned stove, and several broken windows. Waves "suddenly rose several feet" at the James River dock at Richmond, causing boats to "part their cables" and drift below the wharf. At Manakin, about 20 km west of Richmond, shingles were shaken from a roof and many lamps and chimneys were broken. Several small aftershocks were reported through Jan. 2, 1876. Felt from Baltimore, Md., to Greensboro, N.C., and from the Atlantic Coast westward to Greenbrier and White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Magnitude 4.5 Mfa NUT. (Ref 55, 167, 365.)

1897. May 3. Southwest Virginia. This earthquake was most severe at Radford (about 65 km west of Roanoke), where a few chimneys were wrecked and plaster fell from walls. Chimneys were damaged at nearby Pulaski and at Roanoke. Felt in most of southwest Virginia and as far south as Winston-Salem, N.C. Magnitude 4.3 Mfa NUT. (Ref. 38, 55, 167, 272, 508.)