Minor earthquake shakes US capital's movers

WASHINGTON – Washington residents are used to politicians being its movers and shakers. On Friday, however, it was the earth below that shook.

A minor earthquake shook residents awake in the area, rattling windows and jostling dishes but apparently causing no serious damage.

And while Californians might scoff at the 3.6-magnitude quake, Susan Potter, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said it was the strongest to hit within 30 miles of D.C. since they began keeping records in 1974.

The quake hit at 5:04 a.m. EDT and was centered in the Rockville, Md., area, said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center. Baldwin said aftershocks could occur over the next couple days, but none had yet been reported. He said the aftershocks are generally of a smaller magnitude than the initial earthquake.