5.8M earthquake strikes central Virginia eight years ago Friday

The quake reportedly damaged more than 600 homes.

ROANOKE, Va. – Do you remember August 23, 2011? You probably remember it as the day that the Commonwealth shook. 

On that day, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck in Mineral, Virginia.

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According to the Virginia Tech Global Seismological Lab, shaking could be felt within in a minute in Roanoke, Lynchburg and the Highlands. It took one-to-two minutes to be felt in the New River Valley and parts of Southside.

The USGS said in their overview that nearly 600 homes received damage from the quake. That makes sense, when you look at average damage with respect to the Richter Scale, as well as the fairly shallow depth of the quake.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.