The 5.9 earthquake centered in Mineral, Va., sent aftershocks across the Twittersphere as East Coasters registered reactions to the tremors.
“Holy f—! We just had an earthquake in DC! It knocked s— off the shelves & dog won't come out from under the bed. #fb” tweeted Bilerico Project founder Bil Browning (@bilerico).
Also read: East Coast Quake: An Unwelcome Reminder of California
“an #earthquake of this strength is NOT normal in this area..airports, railroads, bridges and structures will need to b checked in quake zone,” wrote “Good Morning America" Weather Anchor Sam Champion (@SamChampion).
"2012 is near, I knew it!" "Jersey Shore" star Nicole Polizzi (@Sn00ki) prophesied. "I hope everyones okay!!!"
Other Twitter reactions were more mild, using the quake as an opportunity for a quick joke.
“The Earth is my new favorite vibrator,” wrote comedian Sara Benincasa (@SaraJBenincasa).
Musician Adam Levine (@adamlevine) added, “Ok. Even GOD is pissed off at Washington
now.”
“You see? You see? You people legalize gay marriage, then this happens. #earthquake” wrote Slate political reporter and MSNBC contributor Dave Weigel (@daveweigel)
Frequent tweeter Alec Baldwin (@AlecBaldwin) wrote, "They tell me there's an earthquake here…. yfrog.com/h4lseqmj" (pictured right).
Wisconsin resident @jamesondaniel remarked, “No need to text/call friends/family on the East Coast. Just checking them off the list from status updates and tweets. #welcometothefuture”
Over on the West Coast, people rolled their eyes over the shake-driven consternation.
"As long as everyone’s ok…… Keep it moovin.. The EARTH is gonna do whatever the f— it wants to do." L.A. native Ice-T (@FINALLEVEL) remarked calmly.
“Things are rollin in NYC now huh? Welcome to cali.” tweeted “The Voice” host Carson Daly (@carsonjdaly).
Anticipating that reaction, D.C. resident @lipneratlewis tweeted: “Wondering how long it will take for a west coast blogger to call us sissies.”
CBS News political analyst John Dickerson (@jdickerson) concluded, "Federal officials report that in wake of earthquake all jokes have been exhausted. Joke backup systems dangerously stretched."