Virginia quake on 'typical' seismic day

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Although the 5.8 earthquake Tuesday on the U.S. East Coast got all the attention, it wasn't the only quake in the country that day, seismologists said.

In fact, there were about 90 earthquakes, including a 5.3 temblor in Colorado, on what scientists said was a more or less typical seismological day.

What was slightly out of the ordinary was the magnitude and location of the earthquakes, Rafael Abreu, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist, told the Los Angeles Times.

Virginia's earthquake was of unusual strength for the region, he said, whereas Colorado's 5.3 shaker, while significant, was just one of nine temblors to hit the state Wednesday.

The Western state has been having a rash of quakes over the past few days including a 4.6-magnitude one on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

What made the Virginia quake unusual is that most quakes strike along or near tectonic plate boundaries, such as on the U.S. West Coast, while there is no such boundary in Virginia or on the U.S East Coast as a whole.

Still, Virginia does sometimes feel minor and even moderate earthquakes since it does possess two recognized "seismic zones," AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Jim Andrews said.

Tuesday's quake was the second strongest ever recorded in the state since a 5.9 temblor near Pearisburg in 1897, the USGS said.