Virginia Earthquake Felt on Martha's Vineyard

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Virginia at 1:51 p.m. today was felt far up the East Coast, including on Martha’s Vineyard.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was in Mineral, Virginia, 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

Edgartown District Court criminal clerk Patrick Flynn said the court received a telephone call soon after the tremors began, informing him that the courthouse in Plymouth had been evacuated. Edgartown District Court remained open. Most people inside the courthouse said they did not feel any shaking.

The earthquake was not enough to disrupt President Barack Obama's vacation plans on Martha's Vineyard. Two White House pool reporters stationed near Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs, where the president was playing a round, said they felt the earthquake, but had no information as to whether Obama felt or was affected by the tremors. The President remained on the public golf course with White House trip director Marvin Nicholson and friends Eric Whitaker and Vernon Jordan.

According to White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, the President led a conference call at 2:50 p.m. with Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and other key advisors. The President was told that there are no initial reports of major infrastructure damage, including at airports and nuclear facilities and that there were currently no requests for assistance. Obama reportedly asked for regular updates on the situation. 

Earthquakes are a relatively unsual occurence on Martha's Vineyard. Even so, they are known to happen. On May 15 struck within seven minutes near the Island.

The first of those earthquakes, magnitude 2.1, occurred in Buzzards Bay, just off the coast of the Elizabeth Islands. Its epicenter was 14 miles from Vineyard Haven and 12 miles from Woods Hole, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A second, smaller earthquake, magnitude 1.3, occurred at the same approximate location, at a depth of .3 miles. According to the USGS, thousands of earthquakes of small magnitude occur every year throughout the world, most of which go unnoticed.