[WayneS]

Apparently, this was a very shallow quake. These can usually be felt over a much wider area, and greater apparent magnitude, than earthquakes that occur at greater depths. They also tend to cause more damage than deeper quakes of equal magnitude.

I have also read that the east coast tends to experience shallower quakes than the ones out west.

(I know I haven't felt anything like it since the Radford Arsenal blew up while I was attending Virginia Tech).

[alancarp]

Last similar quake:

December 9, 2003: At 3:59 p.m. EST (20:59 UTC) in the foothills about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Richmond and was felt as far away as Norfolk [and western NC, I can say from experience]; Magnitude 4.5

[dragnet2]

National cathedral reporting damage.

They better hope this isn't a foreshock of something to come.