 Scientists have known that the difference between seismic shaking in the East versus the West is due in part to the geologic structure and rock properties that allow seismic waves in the East to travel farther without weakening , but during November 2012 , the USGS announced that recent research showed that earthquake shaking in the eastern United States can travel much farther and cause damage over larger areas than previously thought . USGS scientists found that the Virginia earthquake caused landslides at distances four times farther — and over an area 20 times larger — than previous research had shown . USGS Director Marcia McNutt said , " Scientists are confirming with empirical data what more than 50 million people in the eastern U.S. experienced firsthand : this was one powerful earthquake . Calibrating the distance over which landslides occur may also help us reach back into the geologic record to look for evidence of past major earthquakes from the Virginia seismic zone . " 
