Earthquakes

[Ears and Eggs]

I was wondering how many people have felt/been in an earthquake. Please vote in the poll and post when/were you felt the earthquake and the exact magnitude. I have been in one earthquake. It was right here in Ottawa, magnitude 4.5 in early 2006. Honestly I wasn't even aware that we could have earthquakes here until then. Apparently even large earthquakes are possible, although extremely rare here in eastern Canada.


EDIT: We had a 5.0 a few months after I created this poll. Often the Moment Magnitude number can be deceiving depending on the depth and location of the earthquake so I posted the intensity map of the our quake with my location. Intensity maps of most significant earthquakes are located here (link) so you can find yours and post too.

 

[photonaholic]

I voted no, however if my memory serves correctly, back when I was a kid in school, there was a minor tremor I never noticed it, but it was on the news.

The science behind them has enthralled me for decades.

The mindset of humanity has also captivated me, In our never ending quest to build homes on the most beautiful real estate, man has erected structures in some of the most geologically hostile environments.

The west coast USA is a perfect example of that.......

 

[zaery]

Since I live in the bay area, i feel a tremor or two every 6 months or so. Also, back in high school, my history teacher would repeatedly tell us horror stories about how he was in a parking garage during the quake of '89.

 

[Grix]

There's never any earthquakes in norway.

 

[ColdStl]

I've experienced many earthquakes here in California. The most remembered being the San Francisco quake of 1989. I was playing high school soccer, in Stockton, which is about 60miles from SF. The spectators were screaming because the stadium seats they were sitting in were swaying violently back and forth. Some of the players on the field fell down. Other players, like myself, didn't have the slightest idea of what was happening until the ref stopped the game.

 

[Asherz]

None in the UK I remember

 

[lazerov]

http://www.emsc-csem.org/index.php?page=current⊂=detail&id=135676
^That one. It was 65km away from my city. There were numerous reports about strong shaking but I felt it relatively weak. It even took me few seconds to realise what it was and at first I thought it was a truck passing on a nearby road. I live in a house almost at the sea level so maybe that's why it was so weak.

 

[ElektroFreak]

We had one here in MO last year that was around 4.5. It was weird. I was asleep on the couch and there was a slow rocking sensation.. I saw the pictures and a light fixture swaying back and forth so I immediately knew it was an earthquake, it just seemed weird to me how slow the motion was. Maybe 1-2Hz.

 

[mfo]

I've been in two. One I was around a year or two old so I don't remember. The second I would say was almost ten years ago. It just felt like a big bang. Turns out the EQ originated in PA and I guess a slight amount of energy from it reached NY.

 

[Deleted member 8382]

no earthquakes in Spain

 

[vitalyx]

Why are you sad? Want to experience one?

 

[HIMNL9]

Only few ones, one was almost 4, the others less than 3 (assestment)

I live almost on a minor sliding line (or whatever you call them in English ), and one of the mountains around here, in the ancient times was a vulcan (actually not active from centuries, but NOT turned off, just inactive)

 

[Jaseth]

I have been in a lot of earthquakes from under 3 to 5.. you could feel it a bit, glasses and plates rattled in their cupboards.. that's about it.
I was in a 5.9 or something a single time when I was a kid, but I don't even remember where that was.. I think I was on holiday in Italy. A few buildings were slightly damaged but still nothing major, mostly just things rattling and moving.

I am very happy I do not live in a place prone to natural disasters!

Seb

 

[nikokapo]

The following is not a joke:

I was 13-14 years old.
I'd always wondered how an earthquake would feel like.
Suddenly one day, the flat I was living in started moving sideways (back and forth). Imagine my astonishment "WUT". I could confirm it was not in my head since there was a maraca (musical instrument) nailed on the wall which was going back and forth as well.

I even called a friend on some lower floor but he didn't feel anything. Guess it only happened on the highest floors (I was in the 6th).


Of course, you may be thinking, "but there were no earthquakes on Buenos Aires 6-7 years ago"... and you're right!

What was it? That night, a Metallica/ACDC (or other, I don't remember, I just know it was a known band = huge) concert was taking place like 20 blocks away.

The jumping up and down from fans made my freaking flat shake.

And I don't mean a mini shake like a vibration. No. I even measured it (with what I could at that time... I used the maraca as a pendulum) and I obtained a 2 second period.



Awesome.

But scared sh*tless.

 

[Jaseth]

What are the buildings in Argentina made of? Mud? :na:

 

[nikokapo]

What are the buildings in Argentina made of? Mud? :na:

I don't know about the foundations, but before we moved to this house, the wasll on that flat wouldn't accept any photo frames simply because it was freaking impossible to drill a hole on such a hard wall (the drill tips would always break)...

Now in this house the walls can be easily torn apart with your nails. And sadly I'm dead serious about that