"If the house is a'rockin.... Come on in and see if we're ok!!!!" (1 Viewer)

Ok y'all, I'll admit it. I am from the east coast. Been here on the west for 8 months. We've felt a few minor quakes and I was all yappy about it and everyone here was like, "Whatever..."
Well this morning we had a small shake, 2.8 and the house had a little shudder and groan. I thought, hmmm...
Then 6 minutes later, a MUCH bigger jolt and I even felt it coming beforehand. The whole house shook back and forth and I could feel the wave travel up the walls and the ceiling made a strange cracking sound. The pets, (2 cats and a wiener dog) definitely noticed this one. Buffy the pooch kinda freaked. Went online and it was a 3.4. But we live 5 blocks from the Hayward fault line and the epi. was 3-4 miles away so it felt pretty strong.
I know the Californians here will laugh but it was spooky.
Also made me wonder if a biggie is a brewin'.
The house we are renting is an old stucco/wood number and does not seem very solid. And like I said, we are 5 blocks from the fault-line.

Is it weird that the second one was bigger than the first?

Or am I just a big wussy New Yorker!


d

You're not that big.

Well, I HAVE lost some weight recently....

I always find it funny that Californians can find humor in the SHAKING OF THE EARTH!

On a re-assuring note, if it's an "old" house, it's probably seen a lot worse quakes already.

...and therefore ready to collapse at any moment.

Quick move.

Stop wondering; the answer is yes.

For me, 1994's Northridge 'quake was my personal all-time high, at a Richter Scale rating of 6.8. The 1989 San Francisco shake was -- what? -- in the 7.1 range or thereabouts.

As for "getting used to it," that actually happens for those who live in fault line-heavy areas -- up to a point. The late '80s on through the early to mid-'90s here in California made it easy for us to look at anything at 4 or below as a yawner. No longer, though. It has been seismically quiet for a few years. A mere 3.5 to 4 will now scare us more.

In fact, just about four years ago or so, there was a 3.5 or so event epicentered in West Hollywood. I'm a block or so from West Hollywood, and that little shaker really got my attention.

In the end, you never get used to earthquakes.

To answer your question -- "Also made me wonder if a biggie is a brewin" and "Is it weird that the second one was bigger than the first"



From the USGS--

An earthquake with the largest magnitude is called the main shock; anything before it is a foreshock and anything after it is an aftershock. A main shock will be redefined as a foreshock if a subsequent event has a larger magnitude. The rate of main shocks after foreshocks follows the same patterns as aftershocks after main shocks. Aftershock sequences follow predictable patterns as a group, although the individual earthquakes are random and unpredictable.
---------------

It's no wonder we can't figure out when the next one will strike.

Bill
Also in a quake zone!

Well we just had another! A 2.9 but closer. Only 2 miles away this time from Berkeley. If this is a foreshock than we'd better get ready to hold on!
3 in one day in virtually the same spot is normal, right???


:frowning:

Dave -

Did your pets act strange in the days beforehand? When we lived in CA our dog would act weird - unsettled, clingy. When we'd mention it to people we worked with most said their dogs were acting odd too. Then a day or two later we'd get an earthquake and the dog would go back to normal.

-paul

As a former New Yorker who tried to live in LA years ago, I think earthquakes are clearly Mother Nature's way of telling you to move back to "the real coast."



MC

Hmm, I'm in NYC, but I'm feeling all weird, unsettled and clingy too. An omen?

:wink:

Yes, quake swarms, especially of small magnitudes are pretty common here in the Bay Area. They can go on for weeks or stop after just a few. You just never know...

Rob

Thanks Rob,

There was another small one this morning.
Paul, during the first one yesterday, the pets didn't even move before, during or after. After the 2nd one (3.4) the cats awoke and looked around and the pooch was spooked.
Last nite before the 3rd, one of the cats was yowling for no reason we could figure.

Hopefully it's just letting off steam and not just building up!

d

...when the Earth will open up and swallow your house.

I would never move to California, the whole idea is crazy to me. Plus, Earthquakes would break all my stuff, I ain't down with that.

John, you jest of course.

California is crucual to the U.S. (it has, among many other things, the fifth-largest economy in the world) and to the world. Besides, the scenery is unmatched and the people oh-so cool. I cannot think of a nicer place to live.

No, i'm serious, I don't want my stuff broken.

I'm sure it's a cool place, but the whole Earthquake and possibilty of the entire joint breaking off and sinking into the ocean eventually thing just sorta kills it for me.

Is that whole thing still true BTW, or is it just an old wives tale now?

California would not "sink" into the ocean; that's not how plate tectonics work. It would not even separate from the continent. Do not be so influenced by silly films.

In the Midwest, one must deal with tornadoes and floods and thunderstorms. In the Southeast, one must deal with hurricanes. There are dangers everywhere and in many forms.

Again, California is not "dangerous." Jeez.