Earthquake!
- Thread starter Jay
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It was a 3.9 from what I saw on the USGS site. Just enough to make you say "WTF was that?"
I thought I was in an Earth Quake once, but it was just an explosion some 30-60 miles away.
Basically a small valley filled full of natural gas, and some poor sap drove through it.
Basically a small valley filled full of natural gas, and some poor sap drove through it.
I felt something odd one day at work, then noticed things on my desk swinging a bit. No one else noticed, but checking the USGS website the next day there was a minor earthquake in Pennsylvania that travelled underground and popped up in southeast Michigan. I wasn't the only report that it was felt this far away. There's some sort of geological conduit that transmitted some of that energy up here.
When the new Madrid fault slips the Midwest will know what a real earthquake is.
But yes, it is unsettling for your first time. Your brain notices the motion, but your eyes don't agree with the motion since your surroundings are also moving.
BananaHands
Staff member
I'm always surprised by how many people have never felt an earthquake before. I am used to them happening at least every other year but when I left for school I took a geology class and when the teacher asked about those who had experienced an earthquake before it was only me and 1 other kid in a 40 person class who had.
Luckily the ones I have experienced have all been relatively small, at most knocking a glass off the counter.
Luckily the ones I have experienced have all been relatively small, at most knocking a glass off the counter.
We lived in San Diego before we moved to Hawaii. On Easter in 2010, a 7.2 struck across the border in Mexico. We were outside, heading to a nearby playground with our kids. My husband heard the lock on our neighbor's garage rattling and said something about an earthquake. I looked at the cars parked across the street. They started rocking back and forth like someone slamming on the brakes in rush hour traffic. It felt like I was standing on Jello. The aftershocks were crazy,
Also, my husband grew up just outside of San Francisco. The "World Series" earthquake was his birthday present in 1989.
My natural disaster experience so far are hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, tsunami, and volcanoes.(Edit: Blizzards and floods too!) No tornadoes yet.
Tell me about it.
Everyone who grew up around here remembers that quite clearly. It was a not a fun experience. We're also due for another one of magnitude similar to that. It's been too long since we've had a big one, and it's starting to make people anxious. Retrofitting construction all over the place lately.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Never been in an earthquake, but back in the army we spent a weekend firing an old recoilless bazooka. We were instructed to breathe out and clench our jaws when firing, so we wouldn't bite our own tongues off.
Motherfucker was felt as much as heard.
Motherfucker was felt as much as heard.
Been present for an earthquake (4.6 in Northern california... I forget where the epicenter was), several hurricanes (notably Irene, when I was stationed in North Carolina), volcanic eruption (part of life when you live in Sicily, within eyesight of Mt. Etna, but it's constantly flowing, so the eruptions are minor), tornados (to include the microburst that damned near speared me with a pine tree last year), small-scale explosions, a couple floods, but no blizzards or tsunamis yet...
When my husband was stationed there back in 2002-2004, while we were still dating, Etna had a pretty big eruption. The ash was coming down like snow.
Yeah, that was shortly after I left... for the most part, all I had to deal with was sweeping the patio clear every day. Black volcanic soot everywhere. *grins*
Necronic
Staff member
http://xkcd.com/1037/
Edit: I also have never experienced an earthquake. The hurricanes and tornados are enough.
GasBandit
Staff member
Remember the "umwelt" strip shows you a different script based upon your location. Only those of us in texas see the texas tornado script.
Oh, wow, I never knew that. Mine was about the dude going to watch the Aurora Borealis while the girl watched hockey.
I... should probably start reading xkcd
This one is amazing.
http://xkcd.com/1110/
http://xkcd.com/1110/
OMG did your phone ring right after you saw that?!?
I have been in so many earthquakes when I lived in California that I grew numb to them. Once I woke up early in the morning, as I was sitting in my office chair I felt the shakes start and I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. It was around a 4.0 so didn't even rush for the door frames.
Really, any type of natural disaster you get so used to it. When I moved out to Texas I was used to California coast thunderstorms, as in a little rain and maybe the rare thunder and lightening out over the ocean. When I had one of the first thunderstorms out here I was hiding in the corner as the thunder was shaking the window frame. I hide in the middle of the house scared that any minute my house was going to get cracked open by the wind.
Really, any type of natural disaster you get so used to it. When I moved out to Texas I was used to California coast thunderstorms, as in a little rain and maybe the rare thunder and lightening out over the ocean. When I had one of the first thunderstorms out here I was hiding in the corner as the thunder was shaking the window frame. I hide in the middle of the house scared that any minute my house was going to get cracked open by the wind.
I haven't experienced any natural disasters other than blizzards which I guess makes sense being in Canada and all.
The thing is... I have extreme cold weather gear so a blizzard to me isn't even nearly as big a deal as it probably should be. I've walked miles in -37 degree celsius weather with high windchill just to get back to my car when public transit has failed and the downtown roads are a disaster. Really though I don't know if these sorts of things even count as natural disasters... maybe if there was an ice storm that took out the power.
The thing is... I have extreme cold weather gear so a blizzard to me isn't even nearly as big a deal as it probably should be. I've walked miles in -37 degree celsius weather with high windchill just to get back to my car when public transit has failed and the downtown roads are a disaster. Really though I don't know if these sorts of things even count as natural disasters... maybe if there was an ice storm that took out the power.
Fixed
Man, you guys need to be in Texas when there is an inch of ice on the ground... it's a major natural disaster.
GasBandit
Staff member
In all fairness, when I lived in Colorado I never experienced a layer of ice sealing my car shut. I can't say the same for Texas. But I do acknowledge it was fun to drive around in CO after a frozen night and see all the Texans in 4WD trucks sitting in the ditches.
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