Virginia’s Earthquake Causes Ripple Effect In New York

Utica, NY (WIBX) - Did you feel a minor tremor this afternoon?

An earthquake struck in Virginia Tuesday, causing a ripple effect in Upstate New York.

While the magnitude 5.9 earthquake rattled Virginia, what we felt in Central New York was actually a separate tremor, that took place in Albany.

Mohawk Valley Community College's Professor of Geology, Nick Gioppo explains exactly why we get minor earthquakes in the Eastern United States.

Gioppo said, "When you're in a relatively stable area like the Eastern United States, what you have are very old crack lines--old fault lines--and every so often things moan and groan here on the earth, settling like a house does."

Tuesday's earthquake in Albany had a magnitude of 2.2.