Why the east coast earthquake was felt across so wide a region

[cali]

<snip>

Nuclear expert and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku told ABC News that the reason the East Coast earthquake was felt so far and wide is that there is a huge difference between the east and west coast topography. On the West Coast, tectonic plates are fragmented, so the energy is local and more concentrated – which is not the case on the east coast.

"We have the North American plate and so it rocks as one unit. Energy is scattered all the way to Canada for example," he said.

Kaku also warned that he feels that the East Coast dodged a bullet with Tuesday's earthquake, and should see it as a wake-up call.

"We have to prepare our building codes for the once in a century earthquake, we are not prepared at all," he said. "Our buildings don't sway like those in California and Japan. Our buildings would collapse if we had a major earthquake in Manhattan."

<snip>

http://abcnews.go.com/US/earthquake-aftermath-national-monuments-damaged/story?id=14368908

[KurtNYC]

1. Felt it here in a wood framed building from the 1860s

rocked for about 30 seconds and we are 600 miles from Virginia.

[Kahuna]

2. I felt it in NJ. I was napping and the bed shook.....I was alone at the time....

:P

I talked to my brothers who live close by and they both say their laptops move. I spoke to my son who was in Philly at the time, and he didn't experience it at all.

[EOTE]

3. I thought this WAS a once in a century earthquake.

I thought the last time an earthquake of that magnitude occurred on the East Coast was in the late 19th century.