An earthquake currently being measured as 5.9 on the Richter Scale struck central Virginia at 1:51 pm EDT today. The epicenter was located 39 miles NW of Richmond, Virginia. The US Geological Survey report on the earthquake can be found at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usc0005ild.php. The quake was felt from South Carolina to Binghamton, New York.

Current reports on Twitter are that many buildings in Washington DC have been evacuated, the Pentagon and the Capitol among them. Many East Coast airports have instituted ground stops. Damage reported to brick buildings in DC’s Chinatown.

Hartford, CT felt the quake. New York City felt the quake. Philadelphia felt the quake.