Study: Earthquake damage to monument unlikely

WASHINGTON (AP) — A seismic assessment of the Washington Monument has concluded that it’s “extremely unlikely” another earthquake in the next two millennia will damage the monument any more than last year’s 5.8-magnitude quake.

The National Park Service released the assessment on Thursday, a year after the quake that caused several large cracks to form in the top portion of the monument. The 555-foot-tall obelisk has been closed to the public ever since and is likely to remain closed for repairs until 2014.