Officials Explain Why Earthquake Was Felt Along East Coast
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Tuesday's quake may have rattled nerves but it has also triggered questions about why an earthquake this strong hit the East Coast.
Alex DeMetrick went looking for answers.
At the state's Geological Survey, Director Jeffrey Halka has been working the phones.
Originally rated a 5.9 quake, it's been revised to 5.8 but Halka says it was the quake's shallow mile deep snap that made it felt along the east.
"It makes a difference on the distance it's felt over and for the intensity of the shaking at the surface. One thing about our East Coast earthquakes, because of the geography, you feel it over a larger distance," he said.
Halka expects most damage close to the epicenter, although spotty reports of damage have hit Maryland and a 5.8 will almost certainly mean aftershocks.
"They're generally not as big in intensity as the big earthquake," Halka said. "You may not even notice them."
