Ack -- Earthquake!

[moribundman]

One sharp jolt, followed by the house swaying a little and some creaking. It happened just a few minutes ago. According to the USGS it was in the Berkeley area, magnitude not yet known. Probably 3.5-ish.

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc40193843.html

 

[buster]

Do you guy's get regular small quakes now and then?

 

[Pablo]

Didn't feel a thing!

 

[hillclimber]

Aren't they fun? We had a series of small ones here in Forsyth County, NC last fall. I think the strongest was about a 2.5 but they were shallow, some of them were nearly right under my house, and the USGS says our bedrock type makes them feel stronger. The first one occured around 5am and woke up half the town, then they occurred off and on for a few weeks. Each was a loud, sudden BOOM with almost no shaking after that. Weird.

But.. being in California, aren't you used to them by now?

 

[moribundman]

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Do you guy's get regular small quakes now and then?

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Shouldn't that say "quake's"?

USGS Map With Recent Quakes

PS: Pablo, You'll be feeling it when the Cascadia subduction zone blows.

 

[Pablo]

"But it's a deep fault line" (quoted for typical comeback in this area)

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US10/42.52.-125.-115.php

I've felt a few here, but nothing like my life in Calif.

 

[moribundman]

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But.. being in California, aren't you used to them by now?

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If a quake is short (a couple tremors) and under 3.2, it feels about like a big truck rumbling over a few potholes. At 3.5 you will not mistake some other event for an earthquake. At 4.0 you'll probably consider getting under your desk. At 4.5 you will be reaching for your helmet. At 5.0 atheists start praying. At 6.0 you'll probably need fresh skivvies.

Yeah, I'm used to them. However, I haven't felt anything huge in all my years here. The worst quakes were not necessarily the biggest ones, but those that make houses sway. It feels like the carpet is being pulled out from under your feet.

The house in which I currently live is built on sand. In an bigger quake, the groundwater and sand will mix, resulting in ground liquefaction. The house and occupants will basically sink into quicksand, while the ruptured gas main will erupt in a fireball.

 

[moribundman]

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I've felt a few here, but nothing like my life in Calif.

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A tsunami will wash me away where I am -- 15 feet above sea level and a couple hundred yards from the beach. You know what happened to Crescent City 44 years ago, right? Not good!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007860

 

[Laminar Lou]

Quote:

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If a quake is short (a couple tremors) and under 3.2, it feels about like a big truck rumbling over a few potholes. At 3.5 you will not mistake some other event for an earthquake. At 4.0 you'll probably consider getting under your desk. At 4.5 you will be reaching for your helmet. At 5.0 atheists start praying. At 6.0 you'll probably need fresh skivvies.

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I was near the epicenter for the Northridge quake. 6.7 Magnitude. Our house was destroyed, my Dad's boat moved 150ft or so on a trailer that wasn't hitched (scraped up the concrete, jumped two curbs while going across the street and then hit a concrete retaining wall - took it out too).

It's the only time I actually knew for certain I was going to die. It's a very strange feeling. Every once in awhile I try to visit that feeling when I've had a bad day at work - it changes your perspective.

Earthquakes were kind of fun before that experience. We used to "surf" them when I was a kid.

 

[Gary Allan]

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Do you guy's get regular small quakes now and then?

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(putting on a temp pair of neo-con pants)

And they deserve them

People who play environmental lottery for the benefits of the region deserve to pay for them ...

Quote:

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If a quake is short (a couple tremors) and under 3.2, it feels about like a big truck rumbling over a few potholes. At 3.5 you will not mistake some other event for an earthquake. At 4.0 you'll probably consider getting under your desk. At 4.5 you will be reaching for your helmet. At 5.0 atheists start praying. At 6.0 you'll probably need fresh skivvies.

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Isn't the Richter scale like the Ph scale? Where the difference between any whole number and the one above is TEN times the magnitude??

 

[moribundman]

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Earthquakes were kind of fun before that experience. We used to "surf" them when I was a kid.

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If it swells, ride it. You might get sued over saying that.

 

[Shannow]

Only experienced three or four. A couple of small tremors when I lived in Adelaide, and there was a 3.5 not far from here about a year ago. cracked some of the concrete structures around the place, but my (essentially) pin jointed house survived unscratched.

 

[Pablo]

I've been through a few 6+'s.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/large_usa_7.php

That was quite enough for me. The so called Sylmar or San Fernando quake woke me up! The Los Angeles-Whittier quake was nearly a skivvy loader. I was at work as a young pup....that was my last year in Calif.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/us_deaths.php

 

[Pablo]

Some are a bit fun - I remember the big aftershock from the Whittier quake - I was in the garage, and literally surfed out of the door!

 

[moribundman]

I just hope the Big One hits when I'm outside in a parking lot. Now, seeing how I don't spend much time in the middle of parking lots, I suppose chances of this actually happening are pretty slim. Probably the quake will strike while I'm on a 20 foot ladder picking apples...

 

[Shannow]

mori, a few years ago were were standing in what should have been an ideal earthquake spot...middle of a soccer field. Then everyones hair sort of started floating around and heading for the sky...I was packing bricks, and making sure I was as short as can be.

Couple weeks later there was a six foot crater where we were standing...mine subsidence.

 

[moribundman]

Ha-ha, you got lucky there!

 

[Shannow]

I couldn't believe that people were laughing about flying hair. There were only about 4 white eyed people in the crowd.

 

[sprintman]

I'm 1900 ft above sea level. Don't think I have to worry about a Tsunami or do I?

 

[obbop]

Hey California.....

it's your fault.