An earthquake with an epicenter in Virginia shook the North Carolina State U. campus Tuesday afternoon, although there were no damage reports on campus or in the Raleigh area.

At 1:51 p.m. Tuesday afternoon a tremor shot through campus after a preliminary 5.9 magnitude earthquake in central Virginia hit about 40 miles northwest of Richmond and 150 miles northeast of Raleigh. NCSU Campus Police said there were no damages reported as of 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents of North Carolina could feel the effects of the earthquake for the next six hours or so according to the National Weather Service.

Karl Wegman, an assistant professor in atmospheric sciences at NCSU, does not think students need to be concerned for their safety. He said earthquakes of this magnitude are very uncommon on the east coast and that when they do happen they tend to be felt over a broad region but with little damages.

“I’d be pretty surprised if there was any structural damage or injuries in North Carolina. There will definitely be some aftershocks, but they are not likely to cause damage,” Wegman said.

Direct information about the earthquake can be found through the U.S. Geological Survey.

Comments on Twitter showed the tremors extended as far north as Toronto. The White House and the Pentagon were evacuated due to safety concerns.

“An earthquake of this size is very large. In the grand scheme of things … it is expected to see some damage close in,” Mervyn Kowalsky, NCSU structural engineering professor and seismic design expert, said.

According to Kowalsky, the nature of this tremor, an interplate earthquake, is a mystery to many seismologists and is tough to predict and track. Unlike earthquakes that occur on the boundaries of tectonic plates, like those in the Pacific, east coast earthquakes occur within the North American plate.

Additionally, the type of soil on the east coast affects the impact scale.

“The east coast earthquakes are felt over a larger distance since the soil is softer,” Kowalsky said. “This softer soil allows waves to move out [further].”

Christine DiPietro, a 2009 NCSU alumna, felt the impact of the quake while at work in Washington, D.C.

“My computer started shaking and I thought there was a dump truck under the building,” DiPietro said.

DiPietro said she went under a doorway during the event. She said her phone service was out for 45 minutes and neighboring offices evacuated their buildings.