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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / July 2007Earthquake this morning!
There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from my house. Here's what I wrote to Winnie, who just emailed me to ask about it: I am fine, but the quake jolted me out of sleep (it was around 5 in the morning) and scared me to death! I didn't actually feel anything, but I heard a loud, crashing sound and that's what woke me up. I thought at first that the cats had knocked something over. Then I thought maybe someone had tried to break into the apartment, so I got up and checked everything out, but nothing was toppled over or broken, and no signs of entry. So then I thought it might have been an earthquake, especially since when I woke up, I found Smudge cowering in the little space between my bed and the night stand beside it. So I looked under the bed, and yup, Licky was crouching under there with shining eyes. Poor kitties! Only Roxy continued to sleep blissfully, my little Zen master kitty. :) I didn't find out for sure until several hours later when I got online and had received messages from my neighborhood email list about the quake. It wasn't a really strong one - 4.2 - but it was only one km from my house, so I was practically on top of it. Other people in my neighborhood had really felt it, too. Joyce On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:17:29 +0000, jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt wrote: > There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. > However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Joyce What is your location? MLB > What is your location? MLB I'm in the San Francisco area - earthquake central. :) (At least for the USA. I probably shouldn't complain about our tiny shaker after what happened in Japan!) Joyce > There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. > However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Joyce Having zero experience with earthquakes, that sounds scary. I was curious, does a 4.2 damage your house structurally? Sherry >> There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. >> However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Sherry IMHO it depends on the structure of the house and how deep the quake is. I was on the 10th floor of a downtown building when we had a 5.quake directly under downtown. That building creaked and groaned and swayed. I was scared, as it was a long way down to the ground and I was afraid the building would crumble. My son was about 4 blocks away on the ground floor and he didn't even feel it. The building had only a few minor cracks at the corners of the ceiling. MLB > Having zero experience with earthquakes, that sounds scary. I was > curious, does a 4.2 damage your house structurally? It depends on a lot of things: how close you are to the epicenter, what type of quake it is, how long the shaking goes on. Some quakes have more of a side-to-side motion. Those don't do as much damage. Whereas others, such as the one in the LA (Northridge, in '94) have an up-and-down motion, which I gather is far more destructive. I don't know how long the one this morning lasted. I don't remember feeling any motion - I was awakened by noise - a loud bang and crash. I thought maybe someone had broken one of my windows in an attempt to enter my apartment. Or that there was a feline squabble, ending in some major topplage. :) In general, 4.2 is considered smallish or moderate. I'm not aware of any damage to my building, but I haven't examined it for structural problems, so who knows? As I said, I live very close to the epicenter of this one, so it was more intense than it would be for someone else further away. Joyce >> There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. >> However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Sherry If a house is well constructed, an earthquake has to be well over 5.0 before it will do structural damage. I've been through earthquakes over 7.0 with no structural damage. It is obvious that Joyce, like me, has lived in an earthquake-prone area for a long time. A 4.2 will scare people who aren't used to them. However, as she says, they aren't really very strong. I would probably have felt that one since it was so close, but normally I wouldn't feel one under a 4.5. Before our last big one in 1993 (I think), I didn't feel anything under a 5.0, but I've been a little more sensitive to them since then. Of course I've lived in earthquake territory for 71 years. Joy >>There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. >>However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > curious, does a 4.2 > damage your house structurally? No, that's considered "mild". (Scarcely noticeable, unless you're right at the epicenter - easy to confuse with a truck driving by.) They don't start causing damage until they get up around magnitude 6 or so. > Sherry On Jul 21, 4:53 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <evgm...@earthlink.net> wrote: > >>There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. > >>However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > driving by.) They don't start causing damage until they get > up around magnitude 6 or so. Sorry to keep bugging you...but I'm just really curious about this. So, like our house for example, over the years the foundation has shifted and we had cracks appear in the hall ceiling. I was thinking, that's what an earthquake really is...the ground shifts. Are the houses in S.F. and other EQ-prone areas, built special? To prevent damage to the foundation? Sherry > Are the houses in S.F. and other EQ-prone areas, built special? > To prevent damage to the foundation? I grew up in New Zealand, which is one big earthquake zone. The usual way houses are built there is on concrete piles, like thick fenceposts. The house is a wooden box balanced on top of them. They resist a quake in the same way that a boat resists the waves. The design has worked well over the years - the last really severe damage was the Napier earthquake of 1931: http://wvwv.essortment.com/napierearthquak_refl.htm , though no building could be expected to stand up to a repeat of that. This reminds me. I have some very interesting never-published photos of the Quetta earthquake of 1935, before and after (my girlfriend's mother was born there, her grandfather probably took them). Once I get a new site I'll upload them. ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 <http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 >I didn't find out for sure until several hours later when I got online >and had received messages from my neighborhood email list about the quake. >It wasn't a really strong one - 4.2 - but it was only one km from my >house, so I was practically on top of it. Other people in my neighborhood >had really felt it, too. A few years ago, there was a 3.6 earthquake centered on the sea off the coast of Massachusetts. I remember I felt the ground shake as though a tank had driven by. I'd never felt an earthquake before, but I was immediately sure that's what it was, because the neighborhood was otherwise completely quiet. Glad it wasn't big. Those California faults need to let off steam every once in a while so you don't get a big one. Do your cats sit there and look at you as if they are saying, "Make it stop"? Mine do. Cantate > Glad it wasn't big. Those California faults need to let off steam > every once in a while so you don't get a big one. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Cantate If I don't make it stop, my cats run out of the room. When we had our last big one, they ran out of the house, and I didn't see them for several hours. Joy > Do your cats sit there and look at you as if they are saying, "Make it > stop"? Mine do. After the loud noise woke me up, I turned on the light to find Smudge crouching in the little space between the bed and the nightstand. When I said her name, she stepped out a little and looked up at me as though to say, "Mom, what was THAT??" Licky was under the bed with big, glowing eyes. Roxy snoozed peacefully throughout the proceedings. Joyce >> I didn't find out for sure until several hours later when I got >> online and had received messages from my neighborhood email list [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I was immediately sure that's what it was, because the neighborhood > was otherwise completely quiet. Back in 1976 there was a quake along the New Madrid about a hundred miles north of Memphis. It was a biggie, 6.9 or so. I was walking down the hallway in my parents' home when suddenly I was jolted slightly off balance. I looked and the lamp on my nightstand was swaying back and forth. Mom was up in Ohio for her fathers' funeral and Dad and I were home alone. We called her and she didn't believe us. LOL Then Dad proceeded to tell me to pack a bag so we could go to a shelter because of aftershocks. Um, Dad, you can't run from an earthquake. It's not like a tornado; they'll be at the shelter(s), too. Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG lake. Legend has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi river ran backwards. Jill > Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG lake. Legend > has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi river ran backwards. That sounds very poetic! Joyce > > Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG > lake. Legend > has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Joyce I wouldn't know about the quake of 1912 ;) Eagles nest at Reelfoot Lake. Jill >> > Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG >> lake. Legend > has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Jill Earthquakes are part of my family history. My mother, who was 21 at the time, lived with her mother and grandmother in the Los Angeles area in 1933. There was a big earthquake, centered in Long Beach, California, on March 10 of that year. My mother was so shaken that she told her mother she was planning to elope the next day. They went ahead with the elopement, even though she had told. They drove to Yuma, Arizona and were married on March 11, 1933. Joy >>> Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG >>> lake. Legend has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi >>> river ran backwards. >> That sounds very poetic! > I wouldn't know about the quake of 1912 ;) Eagles nest at Reelfoot Lake. I totally don't understand this response. :) <scratching head> Joyce >>>> Reelfoot Lake was formed by a quake here in 1912. It's a BIG >>>> lake. Legend has it the ground shook so hard the Mississippi [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Joyce LOL! I still can't figure it out either!  SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson > > jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Joyce Um... I wasn't alive in 1912? > jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Er..that part was obvious. I kept looking for some reference to "Eagles Nest". Were we supposed to know what that means, or did I miss something?> >> jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > "Eagles Nest". Were > we supposed to know what that means, or did I miss something?> Birds... Eagles nest in the woods around Reelfoot Sorry, I thought it was apparently I'm a bird watcher > >> jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Actually, I didn't know you ever went on birdwatching excursions. I just knew you had a bird. Sherry >>>> jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: >> [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > Sherry I own a bird (or rather, she owns me) but I have multiple bird feeders on my patio and yes, I go on birdwatching excursions as well. > > > jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net wrote: > > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > > > Joyce > Um... I wasn't alive in 1912? OK... I certainly didn't think you were alive then. But you did bring it up, after all. Not that it matters, really. I was mostly amused. The stuff about the eagles was baffling to me, but that's OK too. :) I just thought what you said about the Mississippi running backwards sounded cool. Sounded like the start of a Ray Bradbury story or something - if he wrote about the South rather than the Midwest, that is. Joyce > jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: > >I didn't find out for sure until several hours later when I got online [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I was immediately sure that's what it was, because the neighborhood > was otherwise completely quiet. We did have an earthquake one time, back in the 70's. I'd forgotten about it. But we live 40 miles from the largest artillery base in the US. They "practice" sometimes and the windows rattle a little even this far away. . I just thought it was them playing with their bombs. Sherry >>I didn't find out for sure until several hours later when I got online >>and had received messages from my neighborhood email list about the quake. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I was immediately sure that's what it was, because the neighborhood > was otherwise completely quiet. I think earthquakes CAN happen ANYWHERE, it's just that some areas of the world lie on more active fault lines. (The worst quake in the U.S. was in Missouri somewhere, back in the early 1800's.) Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes here; the buildings that collapsed in Niigata were mostly over 50 years old. (Of course, any building will tip or break down if shaken too hard-- or if there's a fault right under it!) The building code in Tokyo went into effect in the 1970's. I'm not sure what all is involved, but concrete structures are reinforced by flexible steel rods running through the concrete, which are supposed to make the building sway with the "flow" of the earthquake rather than bending, and they sway in an S shape, direction depending on the direction and sound frequency (Hertz) of the quake. Wooden structures already do this, but the S-bend that the earthquake produces in some houses (which are not tall enough to do the whole S) will collapse the first floor. So in a two-story house, you're actually safer on the second floor, which is why most of our houses have bedrooms on the second floor. Cantate > Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built > differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Cantate When I went to Australia for the first time, I was amazed at all the brick buildings I saw in Sydney. There are virtually no brick buildings in Southern California, unless they are very old. This is because of building regulations to make buildings earthquake-safe. My Dad described the aftermath of the Long Beach quake of 1933 this way: "The stucco buildings had cracked plaster; the wood frame buildings had slid off their foundations; the brick buildings were nothing but a pile of bricks." Joy > Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built > differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Cantate When we lived in Anchorage AK in 1970, there was a new hotel built to earthquake standards, and the bar was on the top floor. Some loved it and some were scared spitless of it, but it swayed with every little earth tremor. Anchorage got lots of minor quakes while we lived there. They usually came from the same direction, south east, and they sounded like a jet coming in for a landing, only the flight path wasn't in that direction. You could always hear them coming before you felt them. Jo >> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jo The Twin Towers were built to sway. That's why some of us didn't think they'd actually collapse. Looked like they were just swaying. Then, of course, oh my god. Jill >>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Jill Have you got broadband? You might find this movie interesting: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson >>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > Have you got broadband? You might find this movie interesting: > http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ Don't see anything but a manger scene... and I'm not a Christian. > >>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built > >>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Click on "play", Jill. Non-Christians are allowed to watch it. Really. >>>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Don't see anything but a manger scene... and I'm not a Christian. You need to click on the button to the left to play the movie. It's not a "Christian" film, either. In fact, the commentator blames religious institutions for many of our problems. So, you didn't catch the impact if all you saw was a manger scene. MaryL >>>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Don't see anything but a manger scene... and I'm not a Christian. It's a 2 hour movie about religion, 911 and other terrorist activities and the banking system. Very interesting. SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson >>>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Don't see anything but a manger scene... and I'm not a Christian. And I'm not a Christian either. SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson > >>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built > >>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > -- > Britta I watched about 7 minutes of that film. It was absolutely mesmerizing. The images were haunting. I'd be very interested to know more about this -- very OT, so could you e- mail me a brief explanation? Thanks Britta, Sherry >>>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > > Sherry There's not much more to tell than what I just told Jill. It's a 2 hour movie in 3 or 4 parts. It addresses religion, terrorism (esp 911) and the banking system. I found it fascinating. SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://picasaweb.google.com/badwilson >>>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > Have you got broadband? You might find this movie interesting: > http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ These images really are haunting, as Sherry said. There's something about the music, too. Holly ran over and stared intently at the screen as soon as the music started, and she stayed there -- almost like she was mesmerized -- for a couple of minutes, then ignored the rest of it. MaryL >>> Back to the question "Are buildings in earthquake zones built >>> differently" the answer is YES! We have very strict building codes [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Jill A day I think no one will ever forget or can forget. One of the few moments in time where the world stood still. A moment that still lives in our (my) heart. Having an earthquake I know how you feel ever time I see a hurricane coming towards us > There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this > morning. However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > house, so I was practically on top of it. Other people in my > neighborhood had really felt it, too. But, but, Joyce - had you forgotten that KFC had teleported over to join her beloved Licky for a couple of days? That was no earthquake. That was the earth moving ;-) Tweed > But, but, Joyce - had you forgotten that KFC had teleported over to join her > beloved Licky for a couple of days? > That was no earthquake. That was the earth moving ;-) WOW!! How will I explain *that* to my neighbors? :) Joyce > There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. > However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from > my house. ...> > Joyce The first earthquake I remember happened during the day when I was about 5 years old and living in Oregon (U.S.A.). My mother was outside hanging the washing on the line, My little sister (about 3 yrs old) and I were in the house. When things started to rumble and shake, my sister and I jumped onto the couch and pretended we were on a boat in the ocean. We were disappointed when it stopped. However, I'm sure our mother was relieved to see that we were fine when she came into the house to rescue us,. I've felt a number of smaller earthquakes since then, but they are hardly noticable, The other significant earthquake I experienced was when Jim and I and our preschool daughter were living in family housing on a southern California college campus. The housing was tiny WWII cracker boxes. To increase storage space for our stuff, Jim put our mattress on top of a structure he made of 2X4 boards. Our daughter had a crib in the other bedroom. I was enjoying a sound sleep when the rumble and shaking sounded, Because we were raised up over the floor on the platform, our bed swayed pretty good. Jim and I climbed off the bed and got our daughter out of her crib and stood in a doorway until everything calmed down. Then, we went back to bed. The next morning we found out the earthquake had damaged a VA hospital in Los Angeles and damaged a freeway overpass. Jim says it also broke the Seme (can't remember how to spell it) Dam, but I don't remember that part. Annie > There was a small earthquake in my neck of the woods early this morning. > However, I felt it very intensely because it was only one kilometer from [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Joyce I'm glad you are all ok! Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek |
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