Damage from the 2011 earthquake in Louisa County, Virginia
Posted on 08/23/2016 4:10:44 PM PDT by COBOL2Java
Damage from the 2011 earthquake in Louisa County, Virginia
Debris covers the floor of the Miller's Mart food store in Mineral, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Earthquake damage in Sherman building, an Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington DC, August 2011.
“Within the last 10,000 years or so there have been significant earthquakes,” said David Spears, the state geologist of Virginia.
No breaks in the Earth’s surface were identified in the 2011 event that originated in Louisa County. But excavations since then in a suspected fault area revealed ancient tears.
“We were able to discover these zones of gravel, these old river gravels that were actually offset during earth movement many, many years ago,” Spears said.
“One thing we hope people have learned is that … we can expect large earthquakes in Central Virginia,” Spears said.
To try to determine the potential for future quakes, Spears and his team with the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy will look for additional breaks in the Earth’s surface along an ancient seismic zone. They’ll dig trenches this fall along the James River between Charlottesville and Richmond.
Spears meanwhile suggests policymakers consider more stringent building codes. Damage caused during the 2011 earthquake would have been mitigated by the use of reinforced concrete in building foundations, Spears said.
(Excerpt) Read more at wtop.com ...
“Spears meanwhile suggests policymakers consider more stringent building codes. Damage caused during the 2011 earthquake would have been mitigated by the use of reinforced concrete in building foundations, Spears said.”
Translation: all gubmint buildings (DC has alot) will now go through retrofitting costing hundreds of billions of $$$. Somebody is paying for it and it ain’t the politicians.
And somebody is getting paid to do it. Here's where the politicians come into the equation.
And here I thought Geologists said the type of rock determined how far a quake can be felt. At least, that is why they say the New Madrid quakes can be felt so far away.
Can’t believe that was 5 years ago today. I live across the Potomac in Alexandria, VA. I was sitting in the living room watching my baby grand daughter. I thought the neighbors were moving a big truck around. Then things got worse. Suddenly all the dishes in the kitchen crashed to the floor and the walls began moving! I scooped up the grand daughter and ran outside.
The whole neighborhood was there. “Was that an earthquake?” We asked each other.
I’m 30 miles north of Mineral and thought we were being carpet bombed as the quake approached. Then I thought a plane had crashed nearby.
My house was really rocking. I was amazed my chimney survived.
We all probably need earthquake insurance.
My favorite graphic. Shared that with my California friends and they loved it.
I had a fan and a lamp fall over. The little grocery down the street lost thousands of dollars in merchandise that smashed to the floor.
Felt it on the Jersey shore. Was sitting on the second floor porch of a little house facing the Atlantic Ocean, working on my laptop, when the whole house suddenly moved - as if an 18-wheeler had hit a bump in front of the house, but there was no traffic on the quiet street. There was no damage and my chair did not fall over - love that graphic too!
I’m about 30 miles south of Mineral and had the exact same thought - the boom was so loud, in 2 seconds my thoughts were 1. plane crash (we are on incoming flight path to RIC from west)...no, 2. bomb....no, we live in the woods in the country, then our house started shaking as my sons and I built our log home ourselves with huge beams in the great room, thought, “our main roof is collapsing - we made mistakes building it!” All of that was in about 3 seconds.
But when the real shaking started, I yelled, “EARTHQUAKE - everyone out of the house!” but by the time we go out, it was over.
“We were able to discover these zones of gravel, these old river gravels that were actually offset during earth movement many, many years ago,”
All right gold hunters, find these maps of ancient rivers and start digging in the usual places gold is found in rivers!
There were a few gold mines in Virginia.
I might have felt it down on the MS Gulf Coast - of course, it might also have been my heart doing a pitapat when my wife walked in,,,,
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