Earthquake Hot Spots in the U.S.

>Half of the U.S. tagged as 'earthquake zones'

The biggest earthquakes in the country don’t just happen in California. In reality, most of the population is unaware that nearly half of the states in America have earthquake zones.

Thousands realized earthquakes can happen at any time after the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Virginia on Tuesday. It was not only a shock to some, but it was a rare but significant event for the region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS.

"It was quite sizable," seismologist Hua-wei Zhou of Texas Tech University told the National Geographic.

The Christian Post reported the temblors shook buildings and forced evacuations in Washington, D.C. and New York City. The surprise quake was followed by a magnitude 2.8 aftershock 45 minutes later.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s data shows that earthquakes rarely strike the U.S. East Coast and are generally less severe when they do.

"There are lots of other earthquakes that may happen first,” said marine geologist Chris Goldfinger of Oregon State University in Corvallis. To read more, click here.

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