A 3.2-magnitude earthquake hit Richmond, Virginia Wednesday night, May 21.  No injuries or significant damage was reported but aftershocks have been felt in nearby towns like Brandermill and Powhatan. 

The USGS explained that small-scale tectonic movements occur in the region every year or two.

The earthquake which occurred yesterday evening at 9:47 PM recorded an epicenter about 8 miles southwest of Powhatan with an impact of 0.7 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.  No immediate damage to life or properties were reported, but USGS said that the quake was felt throughout the state.

Despite the scale of the actual earthquake, the aftershocks were regarded as the most powerful in the history of Virginia.  According to Earthquake Report, the extent of aftershocks may resemble an underground explosion due to its shallow hypocenter.  Ground movements of varying strengths were also felt in some parts of Maryland.

Donna Cole, a resident of Edgewater, said that she felt the earthquake as she was walking back to her house.  "I felt like the steps moved or I had lost my balance somehow.  Was that an earthquake?" Washington Post reported.

Rumblings of what seemed like an underground explosion were evident in Spotsylvania County.  Brentt Gibbons told the paper, "Two baseballs fell off a shelf and the lamp was rattling." 

USGS geophysicist Rafael Abreu said that the impact of the so-called "baby quake" is not the type to cause major damage but it could result in far greater affects in the future.