A small earthquake was recorded Friday evening just outside the Richmond metro area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The magnitude 2.4 quake occurred at 5:51 p.m. on March 20 approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of Woodlake, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. The earthquake registered at a depth of 0.0 kilometers, making it a very shallow event.

At this magnitude, the earthquake is considered minor. Most quakes below 3.0 are not widely felt, though some residents near the epicenter may have experienced a brief vibration or rumble. No damage is expected from an event of this size.

The quake occurred within the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, a region known for occasional low-level seismic activity tied to ancient fault lines beneath the Appalachian region. While Virginia is far from active plate boundaries, stress within the Earth’s crust can still trigger small earthquakes.

Events like this are not unusual for Central Virginia and do not typically signal a larger earthquake to follow. However, the region has experienced stronger seismic activity in the past, including the 2011 Mineral earthquake.

Because the eastern United States has denser bedrock than the West Coast, even small earthquakes can sometimes be felt across a wider area.

The USGS continues to collect public responses through its “Did You Feel It?” reporting tool to better understand how widely the quake was experienced.