Virginia Earthquake Felt Throughout Boston Area

Just before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, a 5.9 scale earthquake hit the East Coast, centered in Virginia.

In Medfield, there were no reports of the earthquake's tremors being felt and Medfield Police and Fire did not receive any calls.

The earthquake was first reported as a 5.8 magnitude quake. Reuters is reporting the earthquake was a 6.0, but according to the United States Geological Society, the quake registered 5.9 with an epicenter 4 miles southwest of Mineral, Va. and 83 miles from Washington D.C.

According to reports from the New York Times and other media outlets, the White House, Capitol building and Pentagon were evacuated due to the quake Tuesday afternoon.

The rare east coast earthquake began at 1:51 p.m. today, said Justin Starr, research assistant at the Weston Observatory in Massachusetts, a geophysical research laboratory of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston College. He said the epicenter was located 39 miles northwest of Richmond, Va.

"We've been getting calls from people in Boston, Mass.," said Starr, though there are reports of the quake being felt all over New England. This isn't unusual reach for a 5.9 magnitude earthquake, he said, but earthquakes in general on the East Coast are unusual.

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• The Fredericksburg, Virginia Patch has created a special Facebook page where residents at the epicenter are sharing their experiences of today's earthquake.

Did you feel it in Massachusetts? Tell us about it in the comments section!