5.9 Magnitude Quake Rocks Washington D.C. Region

reply to post by TheRemedial


I just started watching this video, never seen it before, thanks. Hmm looks interresting. I'm going to play it on the big screen right now.

I dont know if this is worth me commenting or not, but it sure WOW'd me. My daughter was outside getting ready to get on her bus and she was staring at the ground (standing on the grass) I asked if she was ok when i was on my way out to her. She said the ground just moved! I saw it! It went up then down, and it was NOT the wind" an hour or two later, VA had their quake. We are in Missouri.

Ok, I have a question for those of you in the know... I keep hearing this new term foreshock. Some are saying this could have been one. If this was a foreshock, and there was another one around the same time in Colorado, would the big one be in either VA or CO or would it be in the middle of the two? Thoughts?

reply to post by ldyserenity


Thank you for sharing this information. Maybe, just maybe, some of these senseless, insensitive morons will get it.

I would consider myself EQ dumb, I dont study the topic or anything like that. But i heard recently that the Japan EQ was 1000 times more powerful than the one we saw yesterday. Was this EQ 5.8/5.9 a big EQ or was it just big (unusual) for the location itself? Comparing it to global numbers is 5.8 big or average, and if it is average, what's considered a big quake?

reply to post by jhn7537


everything above 10+ or more...

but you probqbly dont wanna know it beacause it is too scary

reply to post by jhn7537


The richter scale is measured logarithmic

Originally posted by verschickter
reply to post by jhn7537

 

The richter scale is measured logarithmic

Not gonna lie, I just had to look up the meaning of that word....hahaha

People have become waaay too complacent in the geology of North America (United States)....they just 'know' that nothing catastrophic could ever happen to good ole' America....

This had made them callous to things like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and the like. As long as it doesn't happen LITERALLY IN THEIR BACKYARD, they don't care.

I asked my children's dad today if he heard about the East Coast quake yesterday... he said," Did you feel it?"

(We are in Memphis)

I stated, "No, but what does that have to do with anything?"

He said, "Then why do you care?"

Sometimes, some of us get accused of 'doomin and gloomin'....

I can honestly say, and I'm sure many here can agree with me, that sometimes, in a way, we need 'something' to happen to wake humanity up from their callous slumber

reply to post by loam


I have been around earthquakes my entire life, living in California. I understand that the east coast never gets them but it was only a 5.8...

5's and 6's are pretty much normal in CA.

IMO, people are freaking out just a lil too much, I know of people that are acting like its the end of the world...

Just imagine how people felt in Japan... A quake that makes this one look tiny in comparison.

Im not trying to be rude, I just think there are many people overreacting.

Overeacting or not, it's a big shock when you're not used to it, and depending on a number of variables they can be deadly, but that's o.k. because you have them all the time so there's nothing to worry about.

There's a lot of lack of empathy going on. Just because it happens (arguably different...geology, depth, etc) regularly in one region doesn't mean people aren't 'allowed' to be upset/scared/shaken etc in another.

I hope those affected are o.k. and if you're feeling stressed, try to talk about it.

More coverage of the devastating earthquake which shook America yesterday:

Originally posted by jhn7537
I would consider myself EQ dumb, I dont study the topic or anything like that. But i heard recently that the Japan EQ was 1000 times more powerful than the one we saw yesterday. Was this EQ 5.8/5.9 a big EQ or was it just big (unusual) for the location itself? Comparing it to global numbers is 5.8 big or average, and if it is average, what's considered a big quake?

No it was not big, just unusual for the area...

Big EQs I would say start out around 6.5+. I know you are thinking 5.8 isnt far from 6.5 but it really is.

I may be a lil off but for every .1 or .2 on the richter scale, the magnitude of what you feel doubles. So the difference between the two would be HUGE.

Ive been in many of 5 and 6's and there is a HUGE difference.

reply to post by EarthShakin


It's not the measure, it's how it felt to us. Due to the kind of ground we have here, the shock propagated itself far and intensely. It is also very rare here to have an event like this here. I could be mistaken but I think we have not had anything quite like this in recent recorded history. So nobody is over reacting. In fact I'd say there is a curious lack of obvious public interest in what caused this event. I'm curious as heck, but I don't see that same curiosity around me. Everyone has shrugged it off and moved on to worrying about the next big disaster forging its way to us. Honestly you Cali people, I love you all but please try and understand the rest of the US is not like California!

reply to post by EarthShakin

Originally posted by EarthShakin
I have been around earthquakes my entire life, living in California. I understand that the east coast never gets them but it was only a 5.8...

5's and 6's are pretty much normal in CA.

IMO, people are freaking out just a lil too much, I know of people that are acting like its the end of the world...

Really? Where? In California? The East Coast?

I live in DC an I haven't met anyone who is " acting like its the end of the world."

Originally posted by EarthShakin
Just imagine how people felt in Japan... A quake that makes this one look tiny in comparison.

I do!!! Now that I have something very meaningful to compare it against.

Originally posted by EarthShakin
Im not trying to be rude, I just think there are many people overreacting.

I, too, am not trying to be rude.... But do you mean like those, including yourself, who seem to be "overreacting" to the genuine surprise and concern of a populous inexperienced in such reasonably strong quakes, and who work and live in structures that behave in such conditions completely differently than seismically prepared ones like those found in the West Coast?



Spare me your feeble attempt to appear reasonable. Apparently you, and several others, have a deep need to find tangible evidence of your superiority over others.

Good luck with that.

Originally posted by aorAki
Overeacting or not, it's a big shock when you're not used to it, and depending on a number of variables they can be deadly, but that's o.k. because you have them all the time so there's nothing to worry about.

There's a lot of lack of empathy going on. Just because it happens (arguably different...geology, depth, etc) regularly in one region doesn't mean people aren't 'allowed' to be upset/scared/shaken etc in another.

I hope those affected are o.k. and if you're feeling stressed, try to talk about it.

By no means am I saying that its nothing to get upset about, Im just saying that there are alot of people acting like its the end of the world. Leaving work, Not going into buildings, sleeping outside or staying in their cars. Its stuff like that, I am talking about.

Being that the east coast doesnt get them that often, I would just take this as a fluke thing and shake it off. If it continues, and or gets bigger, multiple times within days then sure worry about it.

Earthquakes are always something that many people overreact to because they are a lil scary. Especially if you havent been in one. There are many people here that do it too. I just think there are many people taking it too far.

Originally posted by Morningglory
I haven't read the whole thread but wondered if anyone has reported smelling sulfur before the VA quake?

I'm in southern Colorado about 40 miles from the epicenter. I'm fairly sensitive to smells because of wildfires. Sulfur is something I'm very familiar with. My parents well is nothing but sulfur water.

The morning before the CO quake I watered my flowers but the hose was hot so I let that water run out on the ground and I got a whiff of sulfur. I watered and the smell went away. Didn't think too much about it until I watered my garden in the back. This water comes from a separate 250 gallon tank. I was kneeling down near the ground letting the hot water run out and I smelled sulfur again. When I watered it went away. I know aeration can eliminate sulfur odor so I opened the tank to give it a smell check and it was fine. I didn't think about smelling the ground but maybe I should've.

I've watered since the quake and no sulfur smell at all I even dug up some dirt and smelled it.
I know I smelled sulfur and I don't think it was in the air or in my water. I believe it was in the dirt.

Southern Colorado rain smell is a bit different because of our dirt. My son from Denver notices it when he comes down. Our dirt is real powdery so when the rain hits it a puff of dirt is released that you can smell from quite a distance. That's what this odor reminded me of. The wet dirt gave off that normal rain smell but with a hint of sulfur that I noticed right away. I know it sounds crazy but I've lived out here a long time I know the land very well.

I'm in a very dry area, no standing water at all. There are mines (morning glory mine) and vents very close but I've never smelled sulfur around them. Maybe it was the hot water from the hose but I've done this before and never smelled sulfur. Idk just something strange I thought worth mentioning.

Interesting you bring this up. Although I wasnt there. I grew up in the area. The thing that stood out to me about your comment is that the area near the epicenter always smells like sulfur. I grew up spending lots of time on Lake Anna(the lake that cools the nuclear plant) and there were parts of the lake that stank of sulfur all the time. Wonder if there is any connection.

reply to post by loam

I live in DC an I haven't met anyone who is " acting like its the end of the world."

I Have many friends and family in VA. From what they have told me, people are overreacting big time.

I don't think this is something that people should call devastating, or act like it was.

Sorry that I am desensitized to EQs, call me a jerk, I just do not think this is something to freak out about.

reply to post by EarthShakin

Originally posted by EarthShakin
Big EQs I would say start out around 6.5+.

Then you must have been on the Dominion Power nuclear plant design team that decided it didn't need to withstand anything beyond a 6.1.

North Anna Nuclear Reactors Only Designed to Withstand 5.9 - 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake

Bravo.

reply to post by EarthShakin


Our buildings were never built to withstand quakes. We have lots of rigid masonry construction, both for commercial and residential properties. Some locations in which school has already convened had to cancel classes due to structural damage being found. Damage is still being assessed. There may be legit reasons for people not going back into their homes. Think of how it was for Christchurch NZ. Their situation is more comparable to ours than Japan's in terms of expectation and preparedness for quakes. Also my mom lived for many years in Japan and felt her fair share of quakes. The one yesterday still left her awestruck. She said it feels different here.

edit to add that it doesn't help that there isn't much info explaining what caused this, is it truly done with us yet, and we lack general quake info for this region. Being an unknown quantity is a bit intimidating. I don't know about VA but in MD it's calm and all about getting ready for Irene now.