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I grew up on the "ring of fire" and thought I traded earthquakes and volcanoes for tornadoes and lightning when I moved here.
But Oklahoma and Arkansas have been having earthquakes the last several months. Only one was strong enough for me to feel. I'm not worried, though, but it was surprising.
I live in the area of a high level seismic activity so I agree with Barb: I rather prefer many-many small or tiny earthquakes rather than the catastrophic ones happened here in 1888 and 1911.
Eric, don't forget about the New Madrid earthquake in the 19th century! It was pretty destroying even that old time!
I think hearing about the small EQ events constantly is the worst part.
But there are so many tracking systems now--and internet communications--that we hear about things now that we never heard of pre-internet.
I'd frankly rather hear of things that I have some control over.
Many years ago, I felt what turned out to be a small EQ tremor.
It was over as quickly as it began.
I just hope the scientists are correct...that small EQs release pressure accumulations and may actually prevent "the big one".
I have never been to Christchurch, but my folks got down there on holiday a few years ago and raved about it.
This link to a GOTE thread includes harrowing updates from a metalworker whose wife is a police officer. http://www.growingontheedge.net/viewtop ... f=2&t=5490
--Erik, who has only felt one earthquake here in the past year.
We have earthquakes around here once in a while, usualy 1 or 2 on the scale. We had a 4.0 a few years ago. Im right in the middle of the canadian sheild, but Lake supirior is an old rift ( not unlike the african rift lakes), except it isnt active. Lake nipigon ( directly on top of lake Supirior), is actualy a failed rift.
There is a canyon less then an hour out of town called Ouimet Canyon. ITs whats left of the rift on the ground. This is where the earthquakes are centered.
Southern Ontario just had one the other day, 3.0.
"The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results" - einstien
A couple more little ones around Victoria, and a smallish one near Seattle the other day.
Some folks who recently vacationed in New Zealand for the first time said it's the most beautiful country on earth, and they've been just about everywhere.
Said some areas reminded them of a "prehistoric" age, with uneroded peaks covered in lush growth, incredible birdsong.
There was a TV show last night on drilling and suspending instruments 3,000 feet down to record seismic activity near California's San Andreas fault. The narrator said readings came in as soon as sensors were placed. They then extrapolated the outward "flow" of activity where it would turn WNW and go through downtown Los Angeles. Apparently LA is built on the same type of silty strata as is ChristChurch in NZ (and Richmond in Vancouver). A lot of cities are built on floodplains and deltas.
Our hearts go out to the stoic people of New Zealand.
May they get through this...
New Zealand is on the top of my list of places to go. Besides the fact that i know people there, theres the milford track, which is regarded as the worlds best hike ( you basicly hike accross the south island. I cant remember the starting point, but you end up in milfords sound. Not to mention plants. On a Tv show I see, he was hiking through there during the wet season. The trailed were flooded, but there were thousands of water falls, pouring off of the mountains that surronded the trail. Id take trench foot to see that!
My firend lives in Napier. Other then the fact that 200 years ago it was under water, the city was completely destroyed in a huge earthquake in the 30s. She always tells me " theres always earthquakes here, we dont get worried unless its 6.0 or higher". We were talking on msn one day, when her internet went down. She came back on 5 minutes later, saying they jsut had an earthquake, and continued chatting non shalontly.
I think ive seen that show too Barb ( or one similar). If I remember right, they did something similar in yellowstone to monitor the super volcano ( which is 100 000 years overdue). Its interesting to say the least. You dont have to worry about earthquakes in the vallys there do you?
"The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results" - einstien
Yellowstone has been compared to a finger on a trigger...likely a good thing it's continually active.
What a quandry for seismic folks...drill 3,000 feet to get accurate data, but not be there when big results are recorded.
You dont have to worry about earthquakes in the valleys there do you?
Doubt anyone can say that with any level of confidence.
Our biggest risk seems to be along the fault line that includes BC southern coast and Vancouver Island.
Historically the Okanagan gets small shakers, but MYA the eastern Pacific Ocean lapped Alberta...
When we moved to Vernon from Vancouver nearly 35 years ago (ouch!), H recalls "people in utility trucks" laying wire in road ditches near our place extending for several kilometres, before moving onto another area. Asked what they were doing, they said they were students from an Alberta university recording seismic activity. Many years later I tried to find that study, came up empty.
Did your dogs bark?
It's said that birds/animals know an EQ is imminent.
I recall seeing a photo of a "pink cloud" taken just before an EQ in China a couple of years ago.
The caption from the photographer stated he had been taking photos of the landscape/sky when he suddenly noticed a previously-white cloud glow light pink as every bird in view took flight. Only moments later, the EQ.
Just occurred to me that when Japan had its biggie(s) on March 11th, the western coast of North America had only ONE listed event.
Compared to the many small ones the eastern pacific coastline gets each day normally.
It is always hard to tell signal from noise so it may be years before we know if this is a coincidence or not.
All my (rather distant) connections in Japan are accounted for and well, praise God.
My dad has his old wood fishing boat moored on the Oregon coast. He is too infirm to check on it but assumes it is OK as the harbor master has not called.
As with everyone else, I am worried, and praying for, the people of Japan.
If the world's atomic agency continues to allow a private utility company to remain in control of the "work" at Japan's nuclear reactors, we may be praying for more than the people of Japan.
One more biggie 9.0 and that old wood fishing boat just might arrive in your front yard, Erik.
Not to be morbid about the topic, but people are interested in Radiation Trajectories.
Interesting site here with daily revisions based on weather systems.
Barb, for the last 130 years there three catastrophic EQ here: 1887 - 7.9:; 1889 - 8.3; 1911 - 8,2. Today there were 6 shakes. I think it's better to have a few small ones rather than... By the way the TienShan mountains are the northern border of the Himalayan.
I have a live earthquake map, ive been lookin at for the last few months. believe it or not, quebec gets quite a few earthquakes every day or 2, but they are always 3 and under (barley noticeable)
The New Madrid line is the biggy in the middle of the US. Not a serious problem as far west as I am, but having grown up on the west coast I pay attention to it.
1811–1812 earthquake series
Main article: 1812 New Madrid earthquake
* December 16, 1811, 0815 UTC (2:15 a.m.); (M ~7.2 – 8.2[9]) epicenter in northeast Arkansas; it caused only slight damage to man-made structures, mainly because of the sparse population in the epicentral area. The future location of Memphis, Tennessee was shaken at Mercalli level nine intensity. A seismic seiche propagated upriver and Little Prairie was destroyed by liquefaction.[10] Local uplifts of the ground and water waves moving upstream gave the illusion that the river was flowing upstream.[11]
At New Madrid, trees were knocked down and riverbanks collapsed. This event shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, sloshed well water and shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina. In Jefferson, Indiana, furniture moved and in Lebanon, Ohio, residents fled their homes. Observers in Herculaneum, Missouri, called it "severe" and claimed it had a duration of 10–12 minutes.[12]
Aftershocks were felt every six to ten minutes, a total of 27, in New Madrid until what was called the Daylight Shock, which was of the same intensity as the first. Many of these were also felt throughout the eastern US, though with less intensity than the initial earthquake.[13]
* December 16, 1811, the Daylight Shock, 1415 UTC (8:15 a.m.); (M ~7.2 – 8.2) epicenter in northeast Arkansas; This shock followed the first earthquake by six hours and was similar in intensity.[9]
* January 23, 1812, 1500 UTC (9 a.m.); (M ~7.0 – 8.0[9]) epicenter in the Missouri Bootheel. The meizoseismal area was characterized by general ground warping, ejections, fissuring, severe landslides, and caving of stream banks. Johnston and Schweig attributed this earthquake to a rupture on the New Madrid North Fault. This may have placed strain on the Reelfoot Fault.[10]
* February 7, 1812, 0945 UTC (4:45 a.m.); (M ~7.4 – 8.6[9]) epicenter near New Madrid, Missouri. New Madrid was destroyed. At St. Louis, Missouri, many houses were severely damaged, and their chimneys were toppled. This shock was definitively attributed to the Reelfoot Fault by Johnston and Schweig. It was uplift along this reverse fault segment, in this event, that created waterfalls on the Mississippi River, disrupted the Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend, created a wave that propagated upstream and caused the formation of Reelfoot Lake.[10]
The earthquakes were felt as far away as New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, where ground motion caused church bells to ring.[14]
Hundreds of aftershocks followed over a period of several years. Aftershocks strong enough to be felt occurred until the year 1817. The largest earthquakes to have occurred since then were on January 4, 1843, and October 31, 1895, with magnitude estimates of 6.0 and 6.6 respectively.
More than 4000 earthquake reports after 1974
[edit] Modern activity
The biggest quake since 1811–1812 was a 6.6-magnitude quake on October 31, 1895, with an epicenter at Charleston, Missouri. The quake damaged virtually all buildings in Charleston, creating sand volcanoes by the city, cracked a pier on the Cairo Rail Bridge and toppled chimneys in St. Louis, Missouri, Memphis, Tennessee, Gadsden, Alabama and Evansville, Indiana.[15]
The next biggest quake was a 5.4-magnitude quake (although it was reported as a 5.5 at the time) on November 9, 1968, near Dale, Illinois. The quake damaged the civic building at Henderson, Kentucky and was felt in 23 states. People in Boston said their building swayed. It is the biggest recorded quake with an epicenter in Illinois in that state's recorded history.[16]
Instruments were installed in and around the area in 1974 to closely monitor seismic activity. Since then, more than 4,000 earthquakes have been recorded, most of which were too small to be felt. On average, one earthquake per year is large enough to be felt in the area.
[edit]
Since this is an off-topic forum anyway, all of us scientists are following a criminal trial that started this week in Italy.
Seismologists are under trial--manslaughter!--for failure to be sufficiently scary in the days leading up to a deadly earthquake in Italy earlier this year. Here is the BBC story on it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14981921
IMHO, scientists are often criticized for being alarmist (e.g., climate change). So we try to downplay concerns. I know I regularly tell people, "wild jaguars have never been known to attack a person in Belize" so don't worry about them. Will I be tried if anyone is bitten? I'm tempted to wear a button saying, "Science has shown you will almost certainly die".
. How often you perceive the EQs in your part of BC, Barb?
