Big Earthquake

TromboneAl

TromboneAl

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
12,880
Just got out from under the desk. All OK.
 
OK, it was a 5.3, but the epicenter was very close. That was one of the biggest I've felt, and one of the pans hanging from the ceiling is still rocking.
 
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REWahoo said:
Al, what about tsunami danger? You feel safely elevated above the beach?
Click to expand...

Yes, we are high enough that there isn't much danger. But the other end of the street is in tsunami range.
 
KB said:
Here is an interesting site to check California earthquakes. Most we don't feel at all; yours was a pretty good sized one.

California-Nevada Fault Maps
Click to expand...

It's amazing, that site shows the earthquake even before the shaking has stopped. It took a few minutes for it to fill in the Richter info, but the quake itself is there in seconds.
 
I didn't realize it was that quick; I've always been amazed at how many earthquakes there are in a day. Most are small, fortunately.
 
In a few weeks, I'll be trading tornadoes for earthquakes. I don't know what's scarier...
 
My daughter has a ranch in Snyder, Tx. They had several earthquakes last year, with the epicenter being within a couple of miles from their house. I was there in early September when they had a 4.4 quake and it was so interesting. First a big crash sound, then lots of shaking for about 30 seconds. I don't think I'd want to be in one over 5.
 
Glad you and Lena are OK, Al. I take it that you had no damage, and hope you don't experience any aftershocks.
 
FIREd said:
In a few weeks, I'll be trading tornadoes for earthquakes. I don't know what's scarier...
Click to expand...
Both are scary, but I'll take tornadoes over earthquakes. At least you know when tornado prone weather is in the area. Earthquakes heed no warning and just happen.
At least IMO.
 
W2R said:
Glad you and Lena are OK, Al. I take it that you had no damage, and hope you don't experience any aftershocks.
Click to expand...

No, no damage. It really is an interesting experience. Often, a quake is so quick that by the time you realize what's happening, it's over. But when it keeps going, you have time to savor it. It's fun and interesting and scary all at the same time. With this one, I had the distinct feeling that the entire world had turned rubbery. It was as if I could sense these waves rippling through the house.

Then my thoughts are "Is this a small one that is close or a big one that is far away?" The San Fran earthquake was felt here.
 
I've only felt 2 earthquakes in my 59 years in California. One was a 6.0 in Mammoth Lake about 140 miles from where I lived. It woke me up and I felt it roll under my house and keep going. The whole house shook, but I had no damage. In the town near me, the stores had things tossed off the shelves...lots of small damage.

The second one was a smaller one that I felt at work near Sacramento. Most buildings are on cement slab here. From the 8 or 10 people working near me, about 6 of us felt it. The others did not.

It's a strange feeling...I think tornadoes are more scary from what I've seen on TV. I watch Stormchasers..
 
I felt numerous earthquakes when I lived in northern California, including the 1969 Santa Rosa earthquake (5.7). When that one hit my boyfriend and I were caught in flagrante, and we thought it must be love... :D It rolled and rolled, and lasted for what seemed like quite a long time.
 
NW-Bound said:
Holy cow! That map of fissures surely looks like a crow's feet on a geezer's face, right where T-Al is. I dunno...
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Al lives quite near the Mendocino Triple-junction. A triple junction is where three tectonic plates come together. In this case it's the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate, and the Gorda Plate. This is where the San Andreas fault ends and the Cascadia subduction zone (which creates the Cascade Volcanos) begins. The junction occurs just offshore - near that bulge (Cape Mendocino) on the coast to the west of Petrolia. This is one of the most seismically active regions in the lower 48.
 
I experienced quite a few quakes in my 20 years in northern CA. The most memorable one being the 1989 Loma Prieta. That one was a 6.9 and really shook things up. I was at Candlestick Park getting ready to watch the World Series with my beloved Giants going up against the A's... I had the USGS site bookmarked back in those days and always noticed that Geyserville had a quake daily. It is an unstable area but never a huge one there that I saw. Just last year we had one here on the East Coast and I was about the only one that knew what was going on. I am glad you are safe Al. Those things can really wreak havoc.
 
FIREd said:
In a few weeks, I'll be trading tornadoes for earthquakes. I don't know what's scarier...
Click to expand...
Scaier is the one you have had least experience with. Mother nature is not to be taken lightly in any form or location.
 
W2R said:
...When that one hit my boyfriend and I were caught in flagrante, and we thought it must be love... :D It rolled and rolled, and lasted for what seemed like quite a long time.
Click to expand...
Ooh la la!

I can picture the following conversation.

"I can feel that big one coming! Quick, darling, let's jump in bed! This is the chance of a lifetime! It's going to last, and last..." :rolleyes:
 
afntrn56 said:
I experienced quite a few quakes in my 20 years in northern CA. The most memorable one being the 1989 Loma Prieta. That one was a 6.9 and really shook things up. I was at Candlestick Park getting ready to watch the World Series with my beloved Giants going up against the A's... I had the USGS site bookmarked back in those days and always noticed that Geyserville had a quake daily. It is an unstable area but never a huge one there that I saw. Just last year we had one here on the East Coast and I was about the only one that knew what was going on. I am glad you are safe Al. Those things can really wreak havoc.
Click to expand...
I was waiting to watch that game on TV. That one killed quite a few people. As I remember (I was already living up here in WA) the upper layer of the Bay Bridge collapsed. My biggest personal quake experience was the Sylmar quake in 1971 (a 6.6). I was pretty near that one, down at the beach. I had no clue what was going on, it woke us up around 6 am. My GF had lived in Italy and knew quakes. She said let's crawl to the doorframe. It was a stucco duplex, and the plaster and stucco cracked, but I think that was all. That quake tore up some freeways, and some freeway bridges collapsed. I guy I worked with lived in a 2 deck motel style apartment out in Pacoima. His wife was on the landing outside their apartment, and he was lying in bed telling her goodbye. When the quake hit, the floor collapsed and he and his bed wound up in the apartment below. Everyone survived, but his wife broke her arm and was pretty beat up. Most recent for me was the 6.5 in Seattle in 2001. The epicenter was some distance away, but it did a lot of architectural damage although no bridges or structures of any size collapsed. My building was fine.

I don't much like them, and figure that it would be hard to survive a biggie, but overall our west coast weather, dearth of bugs, and other good day to day amenities make me think the small chance of dying from a brick falling on my head is worth it.

Glad your family is OK, Al.

Ha
 
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