Did the earth move for you too?

[Ursus]

Anyone else on the American east coast feel that sucker?

[Melvadius]

Too far from the UK but the BBC picked it up 5.9 beginning to get interesting

[Crispina]

Gosh, I was at my mom's today and we were watching the news about Lybia when the news about the earthquake in Washington DC came on. Only, we soon found out it was in Virginia but felt in many other areas. I'm in Ohio. Mom's neighbor came out and said she was laying on her couch and felt it. Lots of panicked people in New York City too. Now the President is about to give a special news conference about it. Sheesh.

[Pompieus]

VERY unsettling... We've had plane crashes, snow blizzards and terrorist attacks, but you don't expect a temblor here. Thought it was a truck going by but it kept on and got stronger and stronger until the whole house shook and groaned. Went outsida and all the nieghbors were out there looking around asking what happened. Seemed stronger and longer than the ones I experienced in Southern California. No harm done though, except for the tops of the pinnacles on the National Cathedral. Now we can get on to the hurricane.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Pompieus

[Crispina]

Obama never did make an announcement, unless I missed it. The news media must have only heard a rumor.

[guy]

Only a 5.8? Pleeeeease.

 

Living in Southern California, we routinely have those for lunch.

 

Now, a hurricane...that would be different.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

[Virgil61]

I found out through Facebook of all places. Not my normal hangout but suddenly all my friends from DC and North Carolina were posting about an earthquake. Definitely got people's attention.

[Viggen]

Only a 5.8? Pleeeeease.

 

Living in Southern California, we routinely have those for lunch.

 

Now, a hurricane...that would be different.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

 

 

I read in one of the social media channels that due to the geological make up of the east coast a 5.8 is much stronger in the east than in the west, i have nothing to back it up but would be interested if that is true...

[Melvadius]

I read in one of the social media channels that due to the geological make up of the east coast a 5.8 is much stronger in the east than in the west, i have nothing to back it up but would be interested if that is true...

 

If there are any geologists visiting maybe they can provide a better answer to this question.

 

In the interim I just had a quick browse on the web and although I couldn't find anything definitive about the geology on the sites I looked at one of the sites did mention that there is a lot of sediment in the East coast crust presumably this is not the case in the west with its relatively more recently active volcanic ranges. There was also mention of a lot of glacial outwash which is not the most stable of building surfaces compared to granite or one of the other volcanic rocks but probably not subject to major solid subterranean rock fault slips that generate quakes.

 

The eastern seaboard subduction may not be as active as the western seaboard which is probably why quakes only happen there relatively rarely and of less intensity. When they do happen possibly it may be the old 'jelly mould' principle that once a wobble starts in jelly it takes a long time to stop wobbling.

 

Mind you the Earthquake Hazards 101 - the Basics

section from the USGS makes it clear that there is a much higher risk in the Western seaboard of damaging quakes than in the east.

[Ursus]

I'm not sure about the geological implications, but there are far less earthquake proof buildings on the east than in the west. Were there a major earthquake, we'd be devastated. We're used to hurricanes, major snowfalls and the occasional tornado, but not earthquakes.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Ursus

[Melvadius]

Looks like my suggestion may have had a few 'faults' of its own; CBS apparently now have a section on their website explaining the reasons here

 

..For those of us whose knowledge of earthquakes is based on reports from seismically-active regions like California and recently-devastated Japan, it seems like a paradox. In those regions, a quake felt so far from its epicenter would likely have been catastrophic -- a 7- or 8-magnitude that caused massive damage and loss of life.

 

There is a geological explanation. The Earth's crust beneath the Eastern U.S. is "older and colder" than out West. The fault lines are more healed. As a result, the East is far less seismically active -- but when earthquakes do hit, that hard ground is far more effective and conducting the seismic waves.

 

"When you hit it, it rings like a bell," said Christopher Scholz a professor of geophysics at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. "Even with a 5.9 you just feel it for a long, long way. There's nothing to slow that wave down."

 

In the West, where the earth is newer and more faulted, it's more like hitting a brick. "When you get an earthquake it's sort of like a thud. The waves don't propagate as far," Scholz said.

 

...

[Medusa]

When I heard about the earthquake I phoned up my friend who lives near Philadelphia, PA. She said that she was sitting on a couch in the den and it was shaking akwardly. It was kinda scary experience esp. since she wasn't aware at that moment that it was an earthquake. Her three year old daugther was playing in the living room and didn't notice anything and wasn't scared. Luckily no damage to the house happened, no mugs fell from the shelves, all pictures stayed on the wall. Hope that there will be no more earthquakes esp. since I'm going to the States to visit her for Halloween.

[Viggen]

I am old enough to remember the big Friulian earthquake in 1976. My hometown only a few kilometers away from the border we felt it hard. I remember that moment as if it was yesterday even though i was only 6 years old. It felt as if i was on a ship and there were big waves, a really weird feeling and it felt it goes on forever. I was already sleeping so it took a while till i woke up and after that it still didnt stop for at least a minute.

 

Here some info on the friulian earthquake that costs almost 1.000 peoples live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Friuli_earthquake

[Guest ParatrooperLirelou]

I was there when it happened!It was very surprising.I was just at home reading comics when all of a sudden the house started shaking.Very surprising as it was the first time I actually experienced at Earthquake!Good thing no damage happened in my home.

Edited August 25, 2011 by ParatrooperLirelou

[GhostOfClayton]

Next one to contend with is Hurricaine Irene. Anyone in any danger from that? Hope not!