Small Earthquake Recorded Sunday in Virginia

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The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a minor earthquake rattled Virginia over the holiday weekend.

The 2.3-magnitude quake hit at 4 a.m. Sunday, according to USGS. The earthquake was centered nine miles south of Louisa, Va. and 27 miles northwest of Short Pump, Va.

The quake was nothing like the 5.8-magnitude temblor felt by Northern Virginia that hit August 23, 2011, when, as the USGS notes:

"Tens of millions of people all over the East Coast and southeastern Canada suddenly felt the earth shaking from the largest earthquake in that area since the M5.8 earthquake in 1944 near Cornwall and Massena, New York. When the earth stopped shaking, more than 148,000 people reported their experience of the earthquake on the Did You Feel It? website representing an area occupied by one-third of the U.S. population.

That quake did millions of dollars in damage, including to the National Cathedral, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., as well as minor to major damage to almost 600 residential properties.

The M5.8 earthquake was centered near the town of Mineral, Va., about 65 km northwest of Richmond at a depth of about 6-8 km.