Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Shakes Bowie

Buildings shook, pictures fell off walls, and items fell off shelves in Bowie today as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the city. The quake was centered about 100 miles away in Mineral, Virginia. There are no reports of any major damage in the city at this time, although Prince George's County Police have reported multiple incidents of structural damage to buildings, including one in Oxon Hill, one in National Harbor and a Target store in Forestville.

The City of Bowie sent employees home early, and closed city buildings.

Prince George's County Schools canceled Tuesday evening activities , and canceled Wednesday classes. Thirty-two public schools in the county remained closed on Thursday, including Bowie's Yorktown Elementary School.

A 3.6 magnitude quake centered in Gaithersburg, MD shook the city a little over a year ago on July 16, 2010.

Click here for the USGS information on the quake, and click here for a USGS list of recent earthquakes.

UPDATE

The following aftershocks have occurred:

• Magnitude 2.4: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 11:27:47 AM
• Magnitude 2.3: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 02:37:31 AM
• Magnitude 4.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 01:07:50 AM
• Magnitude 2.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 12:06:47 AM
• Magnitude 3.4: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 12:45:26 AM
• Magnitude 4.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 08:04:36 PM
• Magnitude 2.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 03:20:26 PM
• Magnitude 2.8: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 02:46:50 PM

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