Barely a Scratch on Ashburn after the Quake

Yesterday's earthquake appears to have had little impact in Ashburn, about 90 miles from the epicenter, other than everyone getting a good shake. The most common thought: those living near the quarry the trembling was cause by a larger than normal blast.

“I felt small tremors that I thought came from the quarry blasting. But the tremors soon increased in intensity and were associated with a loud rumbling noise that sounded similar to an airplane taking off," said Ashburn resident Charlotte Happle. "When the tremors started, the dog looked at me with a 'what's that?' look on her face. I stood up from the table and the furniture was visibly moving/shaking. I do not care to experience that again.”

Julie Serenyi, a 40-plus-week pregnant mom in Ashburn, seems to have hoped for a slightly bigger shake.

“I was hoping that the earthquake would shake something loose, but no such luck! It was pretty crazy to be lying down and feel the bed move and watch the pictures shake on the wall," she said, adding that her second child was born following the Blizzard of 2010. "Maybe the earthquake of 2011 will have something to do with the arrival of No. 3.” 

Curious looks toward the quarry and jokes were about the extent of the quake's impact on Ashburn.

Laurence Burley, an engineer and owner LLM Engineering in Ashburn, said buildings are pretty much intact.

“No phone calls or inquiries yet, it is still early," he said Wednesday morning. "I was in DC in my car and did not notice the earthquake. My wife was outside and didn’t want to go into the house until I came home to check it over, however I ended up being stuck in traffic for tow to three hours."

Impacted structures appear to be older masonry structure bearing heavy loads.

"The American Society of Civil Engineers in Reston will review the effects of the earthquake and decide whether or not they need to make changes to the building code,” Burley said.

Mary Maguire, spokeswoman for Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services said the earthquake did not impact the normal call volume.

Area airport schedules were delayed for a time, with arrivals diverted to alternate cities.

Kevin Witt, Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, headquartered in Sterling, said workers there felt the tremors.

“We did feel a vibration," he said. "Nothing was broken and no one was injured. We have received a lot of calls of people who experienced it.”