Earthquake in Midwest

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[freedom4ever]

I'm far from being on welfare, but I do work the swing shift. It sucks, but I do get some sleep at night and the rest when I get home.

[DoughtyOne]

One of the 1805,6 earthquakes in New Madrid rang church bells in Boston.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for asking--I'm in NYC!! Didn't feel a thing...

[arthurus]

Quality Poor

Just what differentiates a "poor" quality earthquake from a gÖd one?

[arthurus]

Quality Poor

Just what differentiates a "poor" quality earthquake from a good one?

[Diddle E. Squat]

I hear ya. I remember days where I wouldn't get home from work until noon, then had to crawl into bed and try to sleep in case I got called out again that evening. No fun.

Hang in there.

[Conservababe]

See post #90.

[DoughtyOne]

I would urge folks to consider the ground they live on in the New Madrid area.  The north east region of Arkansas and the Southeast region of Missouri both have soil that is prime for liquafaction.  The smoothest areas are the ones I'm talking about.  This great farmland is not situated on bedrock.  It's is long standing silt from the Mississippi or flooding of the region.

Click on the photo of your choice, or right click view to see the larger version.

 
 

[let freedom sing]

Any other FREEPERS have any feelings, thoughts, dreams about such?

Call your local pound or shelter-- strays and runaways increase prior to Earthquakes.

[Conservababe]

And what is it that you mean by considering the ground. Are we to relocate a quarter of the state of Missouri because of this danger? Let see, I moved here from South Louisiana where I survived through three vicious hurricanes.

[rabbitdog]

We live here in Evansville less than 5 miles where the epicenter was reported. Didn't feel much different here than what others are reporting acrossed the midwest. Things fell from the walls but no major damage. Some folks on the local news reported chimneys cracking. Not really a big deal considering the homes and buildings on the westside of E'ville tend to be older and probably more brittle. And for those of you who have stated this must be another wake up call...hah! The epicenter was centered under the most conservative side of town!

[Constitutions Grandchild]

I felt it on the 4th floor of our fifteen story office building in a near suburb of St. Louis. It's funny that I reacted the same way I did when the last one of this magnitude hit. I figured my vertigo was acting up again. I'm never sure if it's me or the real thing.

[Ford Fairlane]

we'll have to get together and Freep someone

I'd say lets start with our local state rep. but I promised some people I would behave myself for a while - she is supposed to be twisting Mike Madigan's arm for some slush fund money for a local project.

I guess his money spends as good as anyone else's.

[anymouse]

Maybe I've watched too many 007 movies, but hypothetically what would happen if if someone set off a nuke in a cavern very near the merger of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in a known seismicly sensitive area (site of largest CONUS earthquake in recorded history - New Madrid, MO)?

Lots of foreign freighters cruise up the Mississipi and down the Ohio rivers.

That ought to keep the tin-foil hat crowd busy for a while. :)

[cake_crumb]

"There's nothing EXTREMELY unusual about the Northeast earthquake or this recent earthquake"

Actually, the NE gets a tremor about once a year...for which I personally am greatful. As long as we get tremors, we know the pressure is being let off the fault. It's the LACK of tremors along known faults that oughtta worry people.

[DoughtyOne]

When buildings are built on this type of ground, they have no firm rock solid foundation. The type of soil I am describing can turn to an almost liquid state, hence the term liquifaction. When the 1805,6 earthquakes hit, your region was very sparsely populated. This time around the devestation could be massive. California builds to earthquake code. I do not think the area you live in has built to those specifications.

California experienced a series of devistating earthquakes in the 1993-95 range, give or take a couple of years. We experienced three or four 6.8 to 7.2 earthquakes. Even though some of those epicenters were in heavily populated areas, the damage was minimal due to construction codes. The same earthquakes in your area could see significant destruction.

Now, the New Madrid quake is considered to be the site of either the worst or second worst earthquake in US history. It made 7.2 earthquakes pale in comparison.

I'm not trying to tell you to do anything. I'm only saying that the New Madrid fault is due. Make of it what you will. I would not dismiss liquifaction and housing codes issues. You can even shore up your own home and save yourself a lot of grief.

[RightWhale]

I thought it was a train

Sometimes is it a shaking motion that lasts for a while. Sometimes it is more like a truck hitting the building, one whack. If it happens at night and lasts more than 10 seconds it is probably a 4+ and that is enough time to roll out of bed and think about leaving the building, and also think about peeling the cat off the wall. But then it's over.

[lucyblue]

Another North-side report:
I actually called my apartment complex right after the whole building shook hard for about a minute!

What is kinda funny is that this building "shakes" quite often (not as much as today) and I never knew why. The shake today was startling enough for me to call the office and ask if they knew this happened and what it was. The property manager explained that the "blasts" at THE gravel pit a few miles away can occasionally be felt in the apartments and I replied "whew, for a minute I thought we were having an earthquake!"!! LOL!

[Conservababe]

And to think, I also survived the flood of '93, the worst in 500 years. So far I have survived hurricanes in South Louisiana and a flood here in Cape Girardeau. Oh wait, I also survived a tornado while living in Fort Worth.

I don't mean to poke fun at your advise, but where can one truly live and be safe from natural disasters?

[Hoosier Patriot]

I would not dismiss liquifaction and housing codes issues. You can even shore up your own home and save yourself a lot of grief.

Based on my albeit limited knowledge of liquifaction, I agree that it is a very serious concern. However, I don't think any amount of shoring up would help. I've seen some rare video of liqifaction caught on tape in Japan, the earth literally turns to soup. Short of the near impossible task in most areas of this region (and I'm speaking of my area, the Ohio Valley region) of reaching bedrock with a structures footings and foundation, the result will be a structure that is swallowed up by the earth should liquifaction occur around it. Not a pleasant thought, but when the big one strikes the New Madrid zone, it is a certainty. I think the key point is the gamble of whether or not liquifaction will occurr near or around a structure.