On Twitter First: 5.9 Earthquake Hits Virginia, Felt in New York and Beyond

People started tweeting just before 2pm ET that they felt an earthquake in New York and Washington, D.C. As the U.S. Geological Survey reports, the 5.9 magnitude quake was centered in Virginia, 83 miles south-west of Washington, D.C. and 41 miles north-west of Virginia's capital Richmond. The U.S.G.S. page does not list any other earthquakes for this area, though the agency has a history of Virginia quakes here.

UPDATE: A nuclear power plant near the epicenter has been shut down according to local media reports.

Jennifer Walker, a strategy consultant in D.C., is reporting that pieces have fallen off the National Cathedral -- here's a photo of a broken piece. The National Cathedral has confirmed the damage, Washington Business Journal reporter Sarah Krouse has tweeted.



Among the funny images so far: a photo of a broken bobblehead and a fallen lawn chair.

Founders of New York-based startups -- and even VC Fred Wilson -- have been tweeting that they felt the shaking [ see below ].

Washington Post columnist Vivek Wadhwa tweeted, "Is Washington trying too hard to be like Silicon Valley? Hope everyone is doing okay."

Last night Colorado experienced a 5.3 magnitude earthquake, its strongest since 1973.

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