On Shaky Ground

[thedeadlyhook]

Whoa. Liittle earthquake shudder there just now.

No damage; I'm guessing no bigger than a 3 or 3.5, max. The ground we're on here registers a light shake pretty quick. But yeah, it got me to my feet and into the doorway. [ETA: the U.S. Gov earthquake page is so cool! Check out the real-time map of Northern California for info on the quake we just had!]

Comments

[tesla321.livejournal.com]

Whoa!

I felt one of those little tinkly ones, once, here in n. Alabama. It rattled a picture on the wall, exactly as if a truck passed by. Now I'm going to have to tune CNN!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

The first quake I ever felt was like that - I was sure it was a truck going by. And weirdly enough, that was in Michigan, before I ever moved out here.

I found the news on the shaker - there's a Northern California Earthquake page (http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc40187964.htm) where you can get info on stuff that happened in the last hour on a special map. Cool!

I was wrong on my guess - 4.4, but 40 miles away.

[tesla321.livejournal.com]

Did you know that, back in the day, earthquakes were like a tourist attraction to my parent's generation? Everyone was all "I can't wait to feel an earthquake." It's very strange to read an old novel and have that kind of mentality, that serious damage and injuries happen to other people.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Wow. I can't even picture that. Not living out here. I remember after the '89 quake, you'd run into people who still had sort of PTSD reactions to streetcars rumbling past - I once saw a guy run out of a McDonald's from that sort of thing. Just too close to home.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Was that 1986? 'Cause it caused a huge crack in the Library building.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

That sounds about right, yeah. I was in Ann Arbor at the time.

[danceswithwords.livejournal.com]

I had glass rattling and assorted house-shuddering noise. I was a mite slow on the uptake and didn't figure out what was going on until it was over, and then stood in my kitchen doorway feeling like an idiot.

I love the government earthquake page! It makes me really glad I don't live on the Hayward Fault, though.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I was wondering if you would feel it as much up there - I think you're on bedrock in those hills.

The Hayward fault scares me. You know all the UC Berkeley experimental labs are sitting right on it? That didn't make me feel too secure, when I heard that. Eeek.

[danceswithwords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm on bedrock, but it was still pretty noticeable. (Actually, technically, I'm on BART. Literally.)

LBL is right smack on the fault. Yeah, that's not going to be a disaster. So is the football statium--section JJ is moving apart at a rate of about a centimeter a year.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's right! The BART line's right under you. I wonder if that would make the ground stronger or weaker. I'd heard soemthing once about the '89 quake being less devastating than it could've been because of the BART line under the bay, but that could've been an urban legend.

The football stadium? Now that I hadn't heard. Wonder if the movement's become noticeable to the guys who mark the field. That would be bizarre.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Ah... earthquakes. We've been lucky and haven't had any up here recently. Though the last really big one, the Nisqually Quake, happened while I was on a roadtrip (it was a bit freaky not being able to get a phone call through to my husband, shrugging and checking my email on my aunt's computer and having the first thing pop up on my screen be the headline "Large Earthquake Rocks Seattle" -- eep!)

Glad to hear you just had a little shaker and nothing more major!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, it really wasn't very big at all. I might've slept through it, or just woken up a little if I had been sleeping. And it was only a second or two of shaking.

I think I remember reading about that quake in Seattle. Wasn't it not too long after the big tsunami in Asia? I was sure we were going to have a series of quakes here too, as a sort of chain reaction. Glad you and your family got through it okay!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

It was back in February of 2001... I actually just took a quick peek out at YouTube and someone uploaded some footage from the Microsoft test lab webcam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7boO_wTzS4&search=nisqually

My husband nearly got beaned by his monitor at work (it was on a sort of hydraulic arm thingy and was swinging all over the place), but was otherwise okay. I don't think anyone was seriously hurt in that one, either, just a lot of building facades tumbling to the ground in downtown Seattle and some damage to the airport. It was just really freaky to get that fast busy signal when I tried to call rackham at work, not think anything of it and then see that headline. I wound up staying at my aunt's place for a few hours, trying to reach him via email or IM.

We like to joke, though, that I miss out on all the fun. I think every major earthquake we've had here has been while I was out of town.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's a different one than I was thinking of - holy crap! It's always freaky to see footage from the outside of what the quakes look like, because when you're in it, you can't really see how much is shaking, or how far. The way those big CPU towers were rocking... (brr)

And ouch, your poor husband! I can really imagine what you're talking about here, those monitors on the positionable arms. Who would've thought that'd be an occupational hazard?

I wish someone would've had a webcam setup where I was during the '89 quake here - I remember running across a floor that felt like it was doing a serious waveform, like an ocrean wave, but I couldn't really see it, exactly, so I'll never be sure. Although maybe I should be glad I couldn't see it. The walls were rocking, and I could certainly see that. Not a good feeling at all.

[st_salieri.livejournal.com]

Whoa! Glad it wasn't a big one. I've never felt an earthquake, although I'd be tempted to trade you for some hurricanes. :)

Those maps are pretty cool

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know if I'd trade for the hurricanes. I grew up around tornado warnings, and that was way enough high wind scares for me!

I'm impressed by that site - they had info up within four minutes of the event. Not too shabby.

[adriana-is.livejournal.com]

ohgod..I hate earthquakes! I will definitely NOT miss them when I leave CA. Glad that you're okay!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

It was really a very little shaker from where we are, so no damage at all. i think my earthquake-dar is just set kind of high because it really got me on my feet!

[st_salieri.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to let you know that catatonic1242 just put up a fabulous set of U2 icons here.

[adriana-is.livejournal.com]

You are a goddess!!! ((Drools at Edge in leather!!))

Thank you!!

One more reason for loving you so!!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

Is that the leatherman? From Village People? If so, OMG where did you get that icon??

[st_salieri.livejournal.com]

Hee hee, that's U2's the Edge, from catatonic1242's icon set.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

He looks just like Leatherman! It's weirding me out.

[botias.livejournal.com]

Cool, are you around Santa Rosa? I'm up in Humboldt. :)

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

No, I'm in San Francisco. Did you feel anything there?

[botias.livejournal.com]

No, but we had a 4.5 right off the coast here a couple of weeks ago. It was in the wee hours, but a lot of people found themselves awake to feel it so perhaps there were a couple of jolts.

My earthquake claim-to-fame is living in Santa Monica when Northridge quake went down. My mom was even more 'lucky' she happened to be visiting us at the time. Generally, I'm good at dodgeing CA disasters, once I was in Humboldt 'til right after the riots, then went to Disneyland during a big distructive quake at home, and returned before the wildfires, or some such thing. :)

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I guess we should be glad of the little shocks, in a way - they're probably letting off pressure that otherwise would be building up to a bigger one.

One of my old coworkers had family that was right in the middle of Northridge. Their apartment was trashed, but they were okay because they weren't home. Being away from disasters when they happen is a darn good talent to have.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they were OK. I had just bought a car, and the dealership moved it into their garage for 'safe-keeping'. The garage collapsed. I certainly hope no one was hurt or killed. *shiver* On the up-side, we ended up making a better deal elsewhere.

It's a good thing we already had our U-Haul truck reserved for our move because there was a real rush on them after the quake, people wanting to leave the area.

[icemink.livejournal.com]

Okay now you've made the girl who moved from Colorado to LA nervous. Although I have felt tiny earthquakes years ago when I was living in Montery CA and they weren't too bad. Of course it doesn't help that my mom works for the Geological Society of America and all her geologist friends say my apartment is right on a fault line. Looks like tomorrow I'm finally getting off my ass and getting that stud finder so I can screw my grandfather clock into the wall.

But you right, that web page is cool. And also scary.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely bolt the grandfather clock, just in case - it's the sort of thing you want nailed down, even if it doesn't fall. It's spooky to see that big furniture swaying (not that it happens often). But I'm hardly one to talk - we have a ton of bookcases, and none of them are secured because we live in an apartment and can't really drill big holes in the wall.

[pukajen.livejournal.com]

I love that site. I kid you not, it's one of the sites on my bookmarks toolbar. When I'm in California I check it every day. OCDish, so what?

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'd ever run across it before, but I'll probably check back a fair amount from now on. The up-to-date-ness of it is just cool.

[monkey-junkey.livejournal.com]

Hey I felt it all the way in Daly City too! I didn't run for cover, but I became very alert very quickly in case the shaking got worse.

And that USGS site is super fun; I had to use that site when I took the San Andreas class at SFSU.

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

What did the class get into? How we're all doomed to fall into the ocean? Heh.

That's about how it was here, too - I just perked up and got to my feet, just in case, ran to check on the man. Then it was all done.

[cirrisian.livejournal.com]

Im still rather shocked that I felt it out here. Then again, I know that the area I live on is, essentially a death trap. Thank you crappy landfill-created MMI!

(and thank you Earthquake class to teach me wtf an MMI is....and that Im going to die)

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that area was landfill. Hoo-boy. But then, I'm on reclaimed sand dunes, which isn't all that much better.

[alexpallex.livejournal.com]

All I can say is: thank god we don't have earthquakes in sweden!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

This one was pretty teeny, but yeah, it's freaky!

[herself_nyc]

Oh my!

[thedeadlyhook.livejournal.com]

It was just a little shake. I just posted because, wow, never really had the opportunity to do that before, post right after an event. I was amazed, though, at how quickly the official information was available online.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't feel it down here in the Santa Cruz Mtns. I heard today it was on a fault that doesn't enough have a name and probably never will because it's so small ---- how sad!