According to the Virginia Department of Energy, an earthquake in Virginia may have an impact up to ten times bigger than one of the same magnitude in the western United States.
According to some experts, this state could one day be rocked by a massive, devastating earthquake.
According to James R. Martin II, the former director of the Earthquake Engineering Center for the Southeastern United States, “new seismological
Research indicates that the southern Appalachian highlands have the potential for even larger earthquakes than have occurred in the past.”
However, he noted, “those events would now take place in much more highly populated areas.” “[Virginians] are under a significant threat of large, damaging earthquakes,” according to Martin.
Shaking would spread far from the epicenter and affect a large region if a significant earthquake were to occur in this state.
