The Virginia Seismic Zone has not had a history of regular earthquake activity . Earthquakes are rarely above 4.5 in magnitude , because Virginia is located away from the edges of the North American Plate . The largest earthquake , at an estimated 5.9 magnitude , was in 1897 near Blacksburg . A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Virginia on August 23 , 2011 , near Mineral . The earthquake was reportedly felt as far away as Toronto , Atlanta and Florida . 35 million years ago , a bolide impacted what is now eastern Virginia . The resulting Chesapeake Bay impact crater may explain what earthquakes and subsidence the region does experience
5.8 magnitude earthquake
2011 Virginia earthquake
Virginia