An Essential Guide to the U.S. East Coast Earthquake
On August 23, 2011, a rare, magnitude 5.8 quake struck in Virginia and jolted the East Coast. Here are stories about the event and background on earthquake science
![The East Coast Earthquake in Pictures [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/E548C9A5-AFE1-4F77-B0D42491475ADE85_agenda.jpg?w=380&h=213&fit=crop)
The East Coast Earthquake in Pictures [Slide Show]
The staff at Scientific American's New York City office felt the August 23 earthquake and quickly snapped some shots of the scene in Manhattan
Top 10 Biggest East Coast Quakes on Record
Image courtesy of iStockphoto/kickers A magnitude 5.8 earthquake that shook buildings and sent people in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas streaming outside into the summer weather on August 23 might seem like small shakes for residents of more quake-prone regions of the nation.
Seconds Before the Big One: Progress in Earthquake Alarms
Earthquake detection systems can sound the alarm in the moments before a big tremor strikes—time enough to save lives
UPDATED: Earthquake Shakes U.S. East Coast
Minutes ago, our 17-story building swayed side to side for a few seconds. Why? A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia, according to the U.S.
How do earthquakes stop?
David Oglesby, a geophysicist at the University of California, Riverside, shakes out a response.
Get your own earthquake sensor, and other temblor tips
Credit: Old Shoe Woman, via Flikr If you live anywhere between North Carolina and Connecticut, chances are you felt the earth shake a couple of hours ago.
The Threat of Silent Earthquakes
A lack of rumbling does not necessarily make an earthquake harmless. Some of the quiet types could presage devastating tsunamis or larger, ground-shaking shocks
Help Geologists Track the August 23rd Earthquake
Enter what you felt during today's earthquake at earthquake.usgs.gov to aid geologists. Steve Mirsky reports
Earthquakes Exert Global Influence
An earthquake in Indonesia can mean future tremors in California. David Biello reports
Are Larger Earthquakes a Sign of the Times?
Seismologists debate whether the recent spate of megaquakes is a statistical fluke or something more.
The Earthquake App -- circa 1859
Okay, so we all had a swell time: the floor starts jiggling like a jello-mold, and those of us who didn't run outside ran to Twitter, and it was on .
