Earthquakes in Virginia
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more in Virginia was M 3.0, 8 km S of Dillwyn, Virginia, at 1:08 pm EDT on 6 May 2025, 8 km deep. 2,177 people reported feeling it to USGS. 4 smaller earthquakes have been recorded in Virginia since.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded in Virginia in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 2 months
- Last 12 months
- 4 · largest M 2.4 on 20 March 2026
- Since 2016
- 77 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 5.1 on 9 August 2020, 4 km SE of Sparta, North Carolina
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more in Virginia, where USGS names the state in the location
Quiet QuakeIndex 0 / 100
0 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days in Virginia. Normal for here is 0 to 1 in a week.
Compared against Virginia's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes in Virginia, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes in Virginia
None in Virginia in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
Largest on record in and around Virginia
| Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| M 5.1 | 4 km SE of Sparta, North Carolina | |
| M 4.1 | 3 km NNE of Little Creek, Delaware | |
| M 3.7 | 11 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia | |
| M 3.4 | 1 km S of McArthur, Ohio | |
| M 3.2 | 11 km NE of Peterstown, West Virginia | |
| M 3.1 | 1 km NW of Chesapeake, Ohio | |
| M 3.1 | 10 km WSW of Bean Station, Tennessee | |
| M 3.1 | Tennessee-Virginia border region |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · inside a rectangle drawn around Virginia, which takes in some ground over its borders.
Before 2016: the largest in Virginia since 1900
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists one earthquake of M5 or more in and just off Virginia:
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015, each epicentre counted for the state whose nearest county it is. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
The most active counties in Virginia
| County | M1.5+ in 10 years | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Galax city | 116 | Too quiet to score |
| Carroll County | 106 | Too quiet to score |
Counted within each county page's own radius from the QuakeIndex catalogue (USGS, M1.5+, ten years).
Towns in Virginia with the most earthquakes named after them
Blacksburg 4 M2.5+ named after it
Each town page lists every M1.5+ earthquake within 30 km since 2016 and the ones USGS named after it. Town names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Counties in Virginia
- Accomack County
- Albemarle County
- Alexandria city
- Alleghany County
- Amelia County
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Arlington County
- Augusta County
- Bath County
- Bedford County
- Bland County
- Botetourt County
- Bristol city
- Brunswick County
- Buchanan County
- Buckingham County
- Buena Vista city
- Campbell County
- Caroline County
- Carroll County
- Charles City County
- Charlotte County
- Charlottesville city
- Chesapeake city
- Chesterfield County
- Clarke County
- Colonial Heights city
- Covington city
- Craig County
- Culpeper County
- Cumberland County
- Danville city
- Dickenson County
- Dinwiddie County
- Emporia city
- Essex County
- Fairfax County
- Fairfax city
- Falls Church city
- Fauquier County
- Floyd County
- Fluvanna County
- Franklin County
- Franklin city
- Frederick County
- Fredericksburg city
- Galax city
- Giles County
- Gloucester County
- Goochland County
- Grayson County
- Greene County
- Greensville County
- Halifax County
- Hampton city
- Hanover County
- Harrisonburg city
- Henrico County
- Henry County
- Highland County
- Hopewell city
- Isle of Wight County
- James City County
- King George County
- King William County
- King and Queen County
- Lancaster County
- Lee County
- Lexington city
- Loudoun County
- Louisa County
- Lunenburg County
- Lynchburg city
- Madison County
- Manassas Park city
- Manassas city
- Martinsville city
- Mathews County
- Mecklenburg County
- Middlesex County
- Montgomery County
- Nelson County
- New Kent County
- Newport News city
- Norfolk city
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Norton city
- Nottoway County
- Orange County
- Page County
- Patrick County
- Petersburg city
- Pittsylvania County
- Poquoson city
- Portsmouth city
- Powhatan County
- Prince Edward County
- Prince George County
- Prince William County
- Pulaski County
- Radford city
- Rappahannock County
- Richmond County
- Richmond city
- Roanoke County
- Roanoke city
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Russell County
- Salem city
- Scott County
- Shenandoah County
- Smyth County
- Southampton County
- Spotsylvania County
- Stafford County
- Staunton city
- Suffolk city
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Tazewell County
- Virginia Beach city
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Waynesboro city
- Westmoreland County
- Williamsburg city
- Winchester city
- Wise County
- Wythe County
- York County
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces