East Coast quake cracks Washington Monument stone

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1 of 13. The Washington Monument is seen in central Washington, photographed from the damaged main tower of Washington's National Cathedral after an earthquake August 24, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed

WASHINGTON | Wed Aug 24, 2011 5:49pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The earthquake that shook much of the East Coast cracked one of the stones at the top of the Washington Monument, a National Park Service spokesman said on Wednesday.

The huge obelisk, a prime tourist attraction on the U.S. capital's central Mall, was evacuated soon after the quake was felt around 1:51 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

The crack in one of the stones in the monument's pyramidium -- the pyramid shape at the very top -- was detected during an inspection by helicopter, spokesman Bill Line said.

Structural engineers are expected to make further assessments on Wednesday. The monument remains closed until further notice, Line said.

Public schools in the District of Columbia were closed on Wednesday as officials make safety assessments of the 126 school buildings, city officials said in a statement.

(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Vicki Allen)
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Comments (10)
wolfboi1970 wrote:
Here in Reading, PA… our main bridge, of three that enter the city over a river and bypass was and still is closed due to a large crack across 2 traffic lanes… bridge inspectors are checking all the bridges into the city, as they are ALL OLD AND IN NEED OF REPAIR, repairs are begining on the closed bridge, and no word as of yet when it will be re-opened to traffic. So there will be SERIOUS traffic problems during rush hour times. Thats the only damage in Berks county PA I am aware of, but thats pretty serious considering how far we are from the epicenter…. Reading PA is a city located 45 miles north west of Philadelphia, and in the center of Allentown, Lancaster and Harrisburg….al of which are about a 50 minute drive in different directions from downtown Reading.

Aug 24, 2011 3:53am EDT  --  Report as abuse
JamVee wrote:
I’m thinking that the “Seismic Zones” used by architects and engineers who design structures need to be re-examined carefully. We are now better understanding that our “historical experience” guidelines, over such a short time frame, less than 300 years, is just not sufficient to assign appropriate siesmic or weather loads to building designs.

Aug 24, 2011 9:43am EDT  --  Report as abuse
JamVee wrote:
I’m thinking that the “Seismic Zones” used by architects and engineers who design structures need to be re-examined carefully. We are now better understanding that our “historical experience” guidelines, over such a short time frame, less than 300 years, is just not sufficient to assign appropriate siesmic or weather loads to building designs.

Aug 24, 2011 9:43am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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