An Experiment in Alternative Methods of Earthquake Prediction

I just sent an email to kattraxx saying that my ears just started ringing, and at the same time, i had momentary "clumsyiness??" knocking my coffee cup over, spilling it all over my desk..... never done that before(i VALUE my coffee!!), and it was my first cup of the day.... usually i've had a couple by now, but keep feeling restless and anxious....


anyway, right after i cleaned up the mess, i checked here
quake.usgs.gov...

and we just had another small one, but this one was not in the same area of the swarm, it originated in sparks, where i work.... not tooo far from mogul/verdi, but 1st one to hit in that area so far..



[edit on 15-5-2008 by damntheptb]

Sparks? This just gets weirder.

I have a ringing/buzzing sound in my ears as well. Just got my tent up out back. I'm feeling high anxiety, dizzy and disoriented. Just took Five Flower drops for the anxiety. If one hits, I don't think it will be below 4.5. Listening for dogs barking, noticed birds fighting amongst themselves, and lots of sirens in the NW neighborhood-- fender benders, I wonder? Disorientation? Not a lot of clouds right now, but did notice those "pulled apart" ones this a.m., they appear as if they've exploded from the inside out with feathery edges. Like fish bones, sort of.

Wish this would get over with.

8 p.m. Feeling less anxiety, mild headache still, mild stomach ache as well. Talked to a few others who still have bad headaches. Maybe that's how you feel when the adrenaline wears off after a quake. There's something primal about that fear you feel during an earthquake.

On those clouds I mentioned earlier-- clear blue sky all day, except over the Verdi/Mogul fault area. All day there were long strings of clouds with feathered edges, but the strange thing was they didn't move. Just hung there. I kept going out and checking them.

The dogs are still following me around and moving to lay down wherever I am. Could be from this morning's quake. So hard to tell post-quake stuff from pre-quake stuff when they're happening constantly.

They said on local news that seismologists from all over the world have come to set up equipment and study this quake swarm.

I figure I'll go to sleep in my bed, but if I toss and turn, I'll go out to the tent. I never sleep before a quake; have been awake for every one of them.

These are clouds see before the China earthquake:
youtube.com...

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Those clouds are amazing... reminds me of a sundog, but I've never seen any that brilliant. Thanks for putting it up. Never seen anything like it in my life. And.......hope never to, if it's an EQ precursor. I feel for those people, so many large aftershocks too-- I can't even imagine what it must be like to experience an EQ of that magnitude and duration.

The Reno swarm, so far, is more like water torture-- just endless. Just when you think it might be calming down-- bam, another little one. Which don't feel so little up here.

There definitely are clear physical effects, but with so many EQ's, it's hard to tell if what you're feeling is pre or post EQ. Same with the dogs. This is something that we'll have to pay closer attention to now.

In the SF bay area, if I had that headache and couldn't sleep, I could pretty much count on an EQ. And when we had the EQ, we might have a couple aftershocks, but then it was over. Not so here. Everything is running together, so it's getting confusing. I'm going to talk to a few "pros" about this and see what I can learn.

On the clouds yesterday-- the oddest thing about them, other than the fact that they were the only clouds in the sky, was that they just hung over the Somersett area. All day.

I'm getting my Sony HandyCam back next week, so I'll be able to take photos and download them. Other photos I mentioned before are on a little Instamatic, but I'll be turning in the film today.

I understand that regarding ants-- when they show up in places you've never seen them before, then suddenly disappear-- an EQ may come 12 hours later. I'm looking to test that theory and keeping an eye on the ants in my back yard. I've never seen any in my house before.

This morning, I still have that headache and just a slight stomach ache. Post or pre EQ? I'm hoping to figure that out.

quake.usgs.gov...

Well it's friday afternoon, and we are still having some really shallow tremors, nicely packed in the same little area...

My dog has been acting a little "extra loving", than usual, but maybe he justs wants attention... It's almost 2 and I have that little spot in my lower left back that hurts, and feels warm..... no anxiousness or disorientation, but all morning when i was home with my sick daughter I felt the slight vibration and constant "tone or ringing" up till I left at 12, and now I dont here anything.. I really beleive that there is something to the hum or vibration....
I am still trying to find any info on the "experts" coming in from around the country to help figure out why.... I found some info on the oregon swarm, but I'm no scientist, and it seemed to me that they really didnt come up with any viable evidence of why, or they are not telling us...
I still feel like it is something new (to us humans) or at least new since we have started to understand science and mother earth.
Like everything else in nature, ther are warning signs and every natural event on this planet has tell tale signs before they happen.. We just might not be able to see them, even though they are right in front of us.. This is the main reason we are doing this, so we can learn from what is in front of us, and hopefully use the info to aid further understandings of these "weird" seismic activities.

I guess what worries me the most is all the hype on preparedness in the week after the 4.8, then nothing at all..... even though the swarms are still thumping us when they want to.

my prayers and thoughts are with you kat and damn. I hope you guys are able to survive this without going completely nutso. I dont know how I'd do in your place. Thankfully I'm not anywhere near the oregon swarm. Plus that swarm has stopped, with the last earthquake even near that area being on May 12th. I hope your swarm stops soon and you can go back to living a normal life.

Great thread and I have given it a star and a flag.

Thank you for your hard work, it is appreciated.

Tela

reply to post by damntheptb


I believe so too-- there is something to that vibration, and apparently there are those that can really pick up those tones preceding EQ's. I know Charlotte King can hear them and they sound different for different areas. The U.S. Navy tested her hearing and she can hear tones way below the average person. It's on her web site. Both she and Jim Berkland believe it has something to do with why whales beach themselves. And that there will be beachings before large seismic events.

In fact, if you do some searching, there are many web sites, even some linked from USGS, where people log the tones they hear. Very interesting.

Just wanted to post an update... since my last post we have had a couple small ones
quake.usgs.gov...

the 2:39 and 2:42 were at the same exact location and depth, except the 2nd one was much larger...
pain is still in lower back, and it feels warmer now than an hour ago...
Hope this is just coincedences, as I would REALLY like to have a relaxing weekend!!

I will be offline from 5pm till monday morning, so i will keep track of things I notice (like the red ants allover the dirt at my work..) and Kattraxx will probably keep the weekend updats, if there are any developments.... My ears are ringing very lightly at work, and i just noticed it a few minutes ago... hope its just the computer..



[edit on 16-5-2008 by damntheptb]

reply to post by Telafree


Thanks, Telafree.

I just wanted to add this link to a page with "earthquake clouds" that are exactly what I saw over our active fault area all day yesterday after the 3.4. As I said, not a cloud in the sky, except these. (The photos were taken after the China EQ.)

www.china-quake.com...

House is creaking a lot again this afternoon. And maybe nothing, but I found one little ant in my house. First time in 9 years. And it was on top of the china cabinet. Also seem to be noticing spiders in the house lately. Usually only see more of them when the weather turns cold.

Here's the link to an article on thousands of toads seen fleeing the EQ zone in China, with photographs. Interesting.

observers.france24.com...



[edit on 5/16/08 by kattraxx]

May 17. Saturday

I'm noticing that the EQ's are all above 1.0 since the 3.4. Usually there are many below 1.0, but not now. Just as I was dozing off, a small tremor woke me up; I could feel the bed shaking and both dogs lifted their heads looking to see what I would do, I guess. Usually, I just wait out the tremors unless they begin getting stronger, then I prefer to be in my back yard. After that one, I went back to sleep.

With this swarm, I've noticed the larger EQ's begin with a little tremor, then there will be a sharp upward sideways jolt right away. The smaller tremors always feel like you're being bumped upwards.

I woke up with that headache again and the weird stomach ache. Near as I can figure, it's either simply from living on this epicenter, or it's a build-up for something around 5.0 within the week. I've had this headache for at least four days now.

I've been making note of everything, hoping to see some pattern. I ask everyone I speak to how they feel, how their animals are behaving, etc. Yesterday, my mother said she was calling her dachshund and finally found him under the love seat, which is an upgrade for him, as he used to hide behind a chair in a corner. My Siberian started laying under the dining room table often probably over a month ago. I think it's a good choice, as it's solid teak and probably stronger than the house. ha ha

I did notice what might be called earthquake clouds yesterday-- just those stringy fish bone looking ones.

The house is still creaking a lot this morning.

Emergency Services held a mock general catastrophe drill at the airport a couple days ago. I don't know if FEMA is still in Carson City.

I'll check in with a few other people, see how they're feeling, what they're noticing, etc.

By the way, is anyone else getting this headache behind the eyes, sort of a cross between pressure and a headache, or stomach aching as if you did too many sit ups a couple days back? Doesn't matter where you live... according to "sensitives", they get the same ache in the same place for the same location, worldwide.

I'd really like some input, if anyone is noticing similar "symptoms". You can always u2u me, if you don't want to post.

Well, I got in touch with a couple of the EQ sensitives we researched for this thread. Apparently, when the head/stomach aches go away, you can expect an EQ in 12-24 hours. This morning, both head and stomach ache are barely noticeable.

I thought it was interesting that I had little pains around the rib cage yesterday morning, which is for the Mexico region, and then they actually had an EQ there, 4.9, I believe.

Dogs woke me up three times during the night, and each time, I could feel the bed vibrating-- and it's not subtle. Even sitting out on the back patio, same thing. I can feel it now. Creepy.

It's 8 a.m. now, and at 10 a.m., I'm going with a friend over to Somersett to see this rupture in the ground. According to my bf who worked in that area two summers ago, it's about a foot wide and runs all the way up a hillside. I hope we can find it, based on his directions. We're taking digital photos so we can upload them when we return. Then I have to figure out how to upload them into this thread.

Just checked USGS: 3.0 1:44 a.m. My Siberian woke me just after 1 a.m.

quake.usgs.gov...



[edit on 5/18/08 by kattraxx]

MONDAY 5-19-08 8:50AM


Well I left town this weekend right after a thumper on sat, and of course as soon as I get back, I feel? that constant hummmm.....

I wonder if anyone out there knows about any info on the hot springs (temp) in our area... I'm trying to find the article I read saying that they vented an old hot spring in our area (near epicenters) recently after it has been sealed for years..
I believe that our problems are coming from all the geothermal activity below us, which would explain why the "experts" dont have a clue about the quakes... or why they are saying nothing....
I worry about the geothermal activity, because an earthquake is one thing to deal with, an geothermal eruption, even just hot steam, can be very destructive.....


slow start today, but still active
quake.usgs.gov...

another issue I am having is the distinct "thunk" that always happens on any shake over 2.5 ... it seems upwards and violent, even though just for a second or two.... very unfamilier to me, and i have felt quakes in 3 states... Never been on top of epicenter though..



[edit on 19-5-2008 by damntheptb]

Same here, felt a lot of quakes in California, but never this sense of upward motion, then a falling "thunk". It's strange.

We spent two and a half hours trying to find this fabled rupture in the Somersett development. No luck. But we haven't given up. Part of the problem is it's been two years since Dan worked in that area, and he's trying to describe how to get there over the phone-- ie., left at the third roundabout, no the fourth one, etc. According to him, this rupture in the ground was at least a foot wide and deep enough that he could see only darkness and it ran from the valley floor all the way up a ridge. And no matter how much dirt and rock they dozed into it, the next day, it was visible again. I want to find and see this thing. Somersett has grown a lot in two years, so that makes it more difficult, but we'll keep looking.

Here's an interesting comment in an article I found in the Sacramento Bee, not in any local papers.

Geoff Blewitt, a University of Nevada physicist who focuses on measuring minute earth movements with GPS, believes that since the swarm began, a 20-square-mile area has shifted eastward one centimeter – just under a half-inch.

The shift is too great to be caused by the swarm itself and hints that a deeper, underground creep is straining the region above it, Blewitt said. The swarm could be partially releasing that strain.

News - Residents rattled in Reno - sacbee.com

Also Charlotte King has been watching our quake swarm and sent an e-mail to our governor offering her insights. I hope they are open-minded enough to take her up on it. It's not like the "experts" have much to say. Tonight I plan to ask her if she would like to add her comments regarding this swarm to our thread. And with her permission, I'll also post her email to our governor, which lists the various local and state governments and agencies that she has worked with. It's impressive.

The dogs woke me up last night just after 1 a.m., wanted out and wouldn't come back inside. I didn't notice any tremors on the USGS site that might've frightened them like that. Soooooooo, hopefully it's not a precursor. I have no headache today, so far; in fact, I feel pretty good. I'm not one prone to headaches, but have had a lot of them in the past three months.

I'm wondering what it is with dogs in terms of earthquakes prediction, and thinking if it's low frequency it might be picked up in the background noise with seismograms. According to the BGS, as I know where to look on that site, there is:

The Component box gives a selection between "Short period", "Long period" and "Very long period". Data shown on this page are all recorded on the vertical component of a broadband seismometer, which records in the frequency range 0.0083-50Hz. However, to look at the data it is useful to apply a filter. The "Short period" data are bandpass filtered in the frequency band 3-8Hz and typically show local earthquakes. The "Long period" and "Very long period" data are lowpass filtered and only contain frequencies up to 1Hz and 0.1Hz respectively. Both can show earthquakes at a large distance from the station. Large local earthquakes can show up on all the plots.

Now presumably then, we can possibly pick up the sound with seismograms as well, if it's low enough and not confined to a certain frequency which is filtered out. So if we look at these for your area, maybe we'll see something.

Looking at this seismogram from a CA quake a while back, we have flat until the quakes. of course the interesting frequencies could be ones not picked up or not detected easily back then.

A possibility is there is something that can be observed or heard but is very faint, for example looking at this page there could be something beforehand, but this is from St Helens, so hopefully that isn't applicable for you.main PNSN page for web recorders.

So maybe there is something.

ITS 2:22 in the afternoon, and the vibration i have felt all day has intensified.. and I keep feeling pressure in my ears like they are going to pop, but then they are done. We have had a couple smaller ones this afternoon and they are now staying a couple miles down, not on surface anymore..
quake.usgs.gov...

In the last couple hours I have had a sense of axiousness, hopefully its just the caffeine....

reply to post by apex


Interesting, apex... in the ten days after the 4.7, when we were having a lot of quakes, every ten minutes or so, I swore I could hear some low tone connected with the constant vibration we felt. It seemed to cycle up and down, both the sound and the vibration. Very odd.

At 1:30, I felt the strangest quake while sitting here at my computer.. a bumping up and down and very strong vibration. No jolts with this one, just a sense of bumping. 2.0

quake.usgs.gov...

Thought I would add this information regarding the types of faults in the Reno area-- at least what they think they know. Because officially, as I understand it, the epicenter of this swarm is not located on a known fault, but rather somewhat southeast of one or more.

Nevada has a complex plate-tectonic environment, dominated by a combination of extensional and transform motions. The Great Basin shares some features with the great Tibetan and Anatolian plateaus. All three have large areas of high elevation, and show varying amounts of rifting and extension distributed across the regions. This is unlike oceanic spreading centers, where rifting is concentrated narrowly along the plate boundary. The numerous north-south mountain ranges that dominate the landscape from Reno to Salt Lake City are the consequence of substantial east-west extension, in which the total extension may be as much as a factor of two over the past 20 million years.

The extension seems to be most active at the eastern and western margins of the region, i.e. the mountain fronts running near Salt Lake City and Reno. The western Great Basin also has a significant component of shearing motion superimposed on this rifting. This is part of the Pacific - North America plate motion. The total motion is about 5 cm/year. Of this, about 4 cm/yr takes place on the San Andreas fault system near the California coast, and the remainder, about 1 cm/year, occurs east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in a zone geologists know as the Walker Lane.

As a result, Nevada hosts hundreds of active extensional faults, and several significant transform fault zones as well. While not as actively or rapidly deforming as the plate boundary in California, Nevada has earthquakes over much larger areas. While some regions in California, such as the western Sierra Nevada, appear to be isolated from earthquake activity, earthquakes have occurred everywhere in Nevada.

www.seismo.unr.edu...

There are some interesting photographs, etc. on this page about plate tectonics.

Hi.

Here's an article I came across. Two pages long:
In Nevada, gold mines drink a desert dry

In Nevada, gold mines drink a desert dry
Quest for riches puts future at risk
By Kirk Johnson
Published: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2005

ELKO, Nevada: Just outside the chasm of the biggest open-pit gold mine in North America, there is an immense, ever-flowing oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert. It is an idyllic and isolated spot where migratory birds often alight for a stopover. But hardly anything about it is natural.

This is water pumped from the ground by Barrick Gold of Toronto to keep its vast Goldstrike mine from flooding, as the third-largest gold company in the world carves a canyon 1,600 feet, or 485 meters, below the northern Nevada aquifer.

Gold mines drain nearly 10 million gallons, or 38 million liters, a day in the driest state in America and the fastest growing one, propelled by the demographic rocket of Las Vegas. It is just one of the many strange byproducts of the tangled Nevada love affair with gold.

...

I read awhile back that the pumping out of oil can also cause earthquakes. I'm wondering if the same thing is happening with these gold mine companies pumping out the waters. Just something to think about as the article stated that "Nevada has become the third-largest gold producer in the world, behind South Africa and Australia."

Hi this is Charlotte King and I am the Pioneer of Biological Earthquake Prediction and I think your thread is great. I am best known for my accurate prediction of the major eruption of Washingtons' Mt St Helens in 1980, I was 12 minutes off.

The animals reactions I have been watching since Project Animal Watch in 1980 with Leon Otis of Stanford University in CA and also at NASA Moffett Field.

You have brought up some great observations. The cats I will address first as I have had up to 16 or more at one time. Most were strays I rescured but my original pride of 6 were all EQ sensitive. They were roof sitters, they would go up on the roof before any large quake, local or anywhere. They would stay up there for 1-3 days even in the rain before they would co me down.
Before the Loma Prieta CA quake of 89' they all hid under the water bed.
We have a captains bed so it has storage underneath and they had opened the drawers and were under the bed, huddled together at one end. You need to understand that some of these cats, hated one another, but like in forest fires, they lose any instinct but surrival when somerthing is happening or frightening them. If the quakes are in Oreogn/Big Bear, Yucca or Simi Valley CA and or Japan if over 6.0 the cats throw up.
Birds is another area to watch. They do come in low over the roads, lots of road kill. Also before large quakes, pigeons can't fly..
Chickens will not roost.. Dogs bark or whine to go out, only to want back in and start all over again.
Ant invasions are something to watch for. Large numbers of ants around anything that is plugged in.. they will disappear 12-24 hours before the quake, be aware they also come in before solar flares.
Well water goes artesian or drop levels suddenly, get clay colored or salty, these are major precursors.
People who are sensitive will feel stomach pains, intestinal flu symptoms, vertigo, headache and some disorientation.
If you are sensitive, you may crave Popcorn, or corn in any form.
Bears and coyotes, and wild cats are all affected by quake precursors, and will often start wandering because they are uncomfortable.

I am not sure about where you are, but earthworms come up out of the ground in Oregon, before local ( State ) quakes.

China had LEFT EARACHES before the major event.
Wells NV area has major stomach pains, low back pains. intestinal flu.

Reno as noted above with the cats and ants and stomach pains, intestinal flu, vertigo etc.

Volcanic events cause back of head pains. Right or Left depending on what you are feeling.
If you want any more information, feel free to contact me personally.

Thank you for allowing me to post to this site.

Salem OR May 19th, 2008 6:15 PM PDT

www.viser.net...


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[edit on 20-5-2008 by dbates]