A 4.5 magnitude aftershock jolted Virginia and the region around the US capital early Thursday, rattling residents recovering from a rare east coast earthquake two days earlier.

The epicenter of the tremor which struck at 1:07 am (0507 GMT) was just eight kilometers (five miles) south of Mineral, Virginia, the epicenter of Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude quake, the National Earthquake Information Center reported.

The location is 133 kilometers (82 miles) south-west of Washington, the earthquake monitors said.

There were no immediate reports of damage, but local news media reported that residents of northern Virginia, Washington and Maryland felt the tremor. Tuesday's earthquake had been felt as far away as Alabama and Boston.

US east coast structures are not built to withstand earthquakes, so an aftershock coming after a strong earthquake could easily topple already weakened structures, especially brick walls and chimneys.

In Washington, Tuesday's quake opened a small crack near the top of the iconic Washington Monument, prompting officials to indefinitely close the structure, while the National Cathedral lost part of its towering neo-Gothic spires and suffered cracks in its flying buttresses.

Many schools and older buildings across the region suffered minor damage.

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