Never been in an earthquake. Does the ground move sideways? Up and down? Or does it feel like bobbing around on a boat?
They are different. Some roll, some jolt. others vibrate. But one thing is consistant with big ones is the sound. The sound is the best surround sound THX you have ever heard.
All of the above.
Imagine riding in a car, truck, or whatever, on a really bumpy road. That's one type.
The other type, is kind of like you are "rolling" or "rocking" back and forth.
Sometimes it depends how far you are from the epicenter.
Different quakes seem to shift the ground differently. The '86 O'side quake felt like a wave under the floor with a definite rolling sensation. The SD quake about 10 years ago felt like a series of small rattles and then a sudden jolt, like a really big truck approaching and then bumping into the building.
Depend on where you are. I'm at the northern most of San Diego County. We felt the first few seconds of shaking side-by-side then it turned into a slight up-and-down motion. for another 5 to 10 seconds. It felt a little scary though :)
A quake can cause a sharp jolt, a rolling motion, or side-to-side motion.
A lot depends on the magnitude and how close you are to the epicenter. Being very close to a 5.0 shaker can be quite an experience, but those who are 150 miles away might not notice much.
All of the above, depending on the quake. It can also be a big sharp jolt or a series of them. The Northridge quake combined rapid back and forth movement as well as up and down along with the eeriest shrieking, groaning noises I've ever heard -- it was a wild ride and we were 30 or so miles from the epicenter. When I got up to try to turn on the bedroom light it felt like I was walking on a floor covered with gyrating basketballs.
Animals do feel the vibrations proceeding the quake, you just have pay attention and to be adept at understanding their language.
The best one I remember rolled. I was exercising on the floor (so that means that it was years and years and years ago!). It sounded like a train coming from the direction of my feet. When the "train" arrived, it ran through the house like a wave. From my feet to my head, there was a wave.
a bit of both!! You know it when you are in one!!!
I was reared in California (San Jose) and went through a couple of minor ones. What really got me is that there's nowhere to run. You don't realize how much you rely on the firmness of the ground under your feet until suddenly it's moving. You can flee from anything else.
There are really 2 types of quakes .. the shakers and the rollers.
The shakers - what we had today - are the worst (personal opinion). They always seem to be the roughest and usually the deepest - this one was 8 miles deep. In this type of quake - the ground shakes back and forth. If you put an open top box on the gound - place some items in it - and then move it across the ground in short back and forth motions (like you were moving the pan for popping corn on top of the stove) - you'll find out everything within the box will tip over. The amount of damage will depend on the strength of the jolt.
The rollers - if you put a baseball under a blanket and move the ball around, you will see how the earth would move up and down - the size of the ball will indicate what the damage might be. However, in my experience of living a lot of years in CA - the rollers are usually smaller in size and cause the least amount of damage.
Quakes can startle you .. and when the room doesn't stop moving .. your adrenalin kicks in and it can seem freightning. The only thing to do is get in the safest place you know - under a table or desk with strong legs, etc., stay away from bookcases which can tip over, stay away from windows, stay away from TV's which can explode it there is an electrical surge. A plain, common sense plan on what you should do - can keep you calmer and help you to survive serious injury.
My mom is 92 - and we already have a plan on what we're going to do. I guess that's why it doesn't worry me.
There is a low rumbling sound, continuous as it is happening. I was sitting in my chair at my computer and the chair was bobbing up and down. My computer screen was wobbling just a bit, like it does when you bump the table the monitor is sitting on, again, continuously. The house makes a creeking sound, you can hear different wood joints inside the house giving a low pitched stress popping sound.
Visually, if you have a pool, the water will slosh about. In a strong quake it will actually slosh out over the pool sides. It moves in waves back and forth from one end to the other, not like someone jumping or playing in a pool. We don't have a pool but the cats bucket of water was sloshing. Also, you can see the glass in the windows shaking. If it is a strong quake, you can hear the window frame making a lound shaking noise of metal on metal - windows frames always seem to make the most noise.
Also, in other quakes - not this one, it was not strong enough - you can see your car rocking back and forth in your driveway if you do not have your parking brake set. Telephone poles will sway, not in unison, but one pole going one way while the next is going the other way.