News: Paramount's Kings Dominion Rattled by 4.5 Earthquake

Posted at 1:36 PM EST (1836 GMT)

Dec. 10th, 2003 -- The ground shook for a good thirty seconds, but left little physical damage behind.  A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck 30 miles west of Richmond, VA just before 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

Paramount's Kings Dominion, located just north of Richmond, VA, was in the path of the seismic waves.  Park Spokesman Michael Sanfilippo said, "We felt the tremors yesterday, and I am pleased to report that the park sustained zero damage as a result of the 4.5 quake."

Earthquakes are fairly common in the east, although not usually so powerful.  Most that occur are small tremors deep beneath the earth that would resemble the vibrations from a large truck driving by.  Unlike quake-prone California, which regularly experiences quakes much larger in magnitude, one of this strength caught people off-guard.

For example, when amusement parks in California build a new ride, they must adhere to strict "earthquake-proofing" guidelines to ensure ride safety.  Going so far as to double the amount of wood necessary in building a wooden roller coaster.

"All of [Kings Dominion's] rides are built to Virginia's building codes and standards and in many cases they are built and designed to exceed code requirements," according to Sanfilippo.  "I hesitate to say that our rides are 'earthquake-proof' because a 7.0 or higher would definitely do some damage."  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a quake of that magnitude is very unlikely to occur in that region.  An earthquake of 6.0 and above would cause significant damage to roadways, homes, and buildings.

It's impossible to speculate on what may or may not happen, however, experts say the area could experience smaller aftershocks over the next week or so.   The largest earthquake ever recorded was a 9.2-9.6 in Alaska in 1964.

Damage from a 4.5 quake usually results in a few rattled windows and pictures falling from walls...not to mention a few rattled nerves.