East Coast Earthquake At 5:04 AM....

[docicu3]

As I was watching the British Open this morning a 5-6 second crescendo vibrating event measuring almost 4 on Dr Richter's scale shook homes and the hearts of those unfamiliar with such occurrences in Gaithersburg MD.

The epicenter which originated about a mile away produced enough force to damage homes in the area, not mine thankfully, with windows breaking and minor but visible damage to a couple dozen single family dwellings here.

Apparently these east coast quakes are not that uncommon but the magnitude of this one is.

How high a number do the more common events in California register? Does anyone remember an east coast quake of significance in their lifetime that caused significant damage to homes in an area?

The only event I can remember as a kid was an east coast summer blackout, that I don't believe was related to an earthquake. Apparently there was some kind of switch failure in NYC that lasted the night and was responsible for a measurable uptick in babies born 9 months later. But unless the categories are hurricanes and/or snow fall the east coast doesn't usually suffer damage from these events.