RICHMOND, Va. — Thousands of Central Virginians are asking one another if they felt the earthquake that shook the region Tuesday afternoon.
A 3.0 magnitude earthquake centered in Dillwyn, Virginia, about an hour away from Richmond in Buckingham County, rocked homes across the region.
“I had neighbors calling and texting, asking if I felt that or heard that,” said Melanie Hall, who lives in Rice. Hall's doorbell camera captured the earthquake create a loud boom and rattle her house.
"All of a sudden, it sounded like a large vehicle had hit the side of the house," she said. "It actually felt like it lifted the house, and then violently shook. There was a loud boom, and then everything was done. My kid was like, 'Mommy, my bed was shaking. I tried to get up, and I couldn't sit up.'"
The earthquake was felt from Richmond to Henrico, North Chesterfield, and Colonial Heights, prompting comments from viewers across the region.
Diane Boggs Blackburn wrote, "My house in Dillwyn was shaking and felt a loud explosion. Glad it wasn’t worse." Lynda Leap Hensley added, "House vibrated here in Crewe. Big rumble also."
Martin Chapman, a professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech, explained that the area is part of the Central Virginia seismic zone, which has a history of earthquake activity dating back to European settlement. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has received over 2,000 reports from people feeling the tremor.
“The earthquakes in California cause the earthquakes here. It’s just that it’s the strain and the stress that builds up from plate motions. Even though we’re in the middle of the plate here in Virginia, that doesn't mean we don’t have strain and stresses on the forms," Chapman said.
While there have been no damage reports submitted following the seismic activity, many residents were shaken by the experience.
“I told my husband I know it sounds dramatic, but it was loud,” Hall said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
If you felt the earthquake, the USGS encourages you to share your location to help them collect data on the incident.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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