
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 24, 1995                   TAG: 9501240102
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

QUAKE SHAKES PULASKI

Residents of Pulaski County had a moving experience early Sunday. An earthquake that measured 2.9 on the Richter scale hit the county at 3:24 a.m., rattling windows and sending some people to their telephones to find out what was going on. Most folks, however, apparently slept right through it.

Officials said there were no injuries or damage. But the temblor, which lasted only a few seconds, got the attention of some residents. Police and earthquake experts at Virginia Tech have spent the last two days fielding calls about it.

"A lot of people called here and said they felt something," said Herb Cooley, police chief for the town of Pulaski. "I think it was just a matter of rattling dishes and windows. Apparently it wasn't severe enough for people to get concerned about."

Martin Chapman, a research associate at Virginia Tech who specializes in earthquakes, said the temblor appeared on seismographs in North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. Using readings from those machines, experts were able to pinpoint the epicenter at about a mile northwest of the town. Chapman said it happened about nine kilometers, or five miles, below the surface.

The people he has talked to were more curious about what happened than frightened, he said. "Some people said it sounded like a heavily loaded truck going by the house."

Earthquakes actually have been a common occurrence recently near Giles County, Chapman said. Several smaller temblors have struck the area in the last month, none of which was powerful enough for people to feel - until now.

So does this mean there might be bigger jolt in store for the New River Valley soon?

Chapman doesn't think so.

"This is sort of what we've been seeing for several years," he said. Small earthquakes happen, especially around Giles County. But "that's probably all there'll be."

Still, Chapman and his associates were excited Monday.

"We learn a lot from these little earthquakes." Such events help unlock the mysteries of why earthquakes happen, and this one may be another piece in another puzzle.

"It's not clear why we have earthquakes in the eastern part of the country," a relatively stable area when compared to the West Coast, Chapman said. "We're going to do a little study on it."

Earthquakes are a fact of life in Giles, home of what seismologists call the Giles Area Seismic Zone and one of two areas in Virginia that scientists have identified as the most active. The other lies between Richmond and Charlottesville.

Both have been hit by up to dozens of temblors in the past few centuries. Most have been imperceptible, but a couple during the late 19th century have registered above 5, strong enough to cause considerable damage.

by CNB