What's Shaking?

[Phil Tarman]

Alex and all of you in New England,

Did you feel the earthquake? Has there been any damage? That's an unusual experience for you guys in that part of the world, isn't it?

 

[Rob]

yes, very unusual. the epicenter was 13 miles northwest of Biddeford, ME (Biddeford is about 35 miles northeast of me). I felt it on the NH seacoast, and it was felt down in Massachusetts, too I have read. Probably mostly on the north shore - a relative in Ipswich said she felt it as well. It was a 4.6 magnitude. My house rumbled. I had music playing and was working and it really startled me because it was loud. I thought my furnace was blowing up so I ran down to look. then ran around the house looking for a cause. Then thought something was going on with the upstairs neighbors (dishwasher jumping around or something lol) but they weren't home. An earthquake is never something that entered my mind. First one I have felt in these parts in my life.

I know there have been minor ones 2.0 or less in New England but I have never been in range of one. This one I definitely was. I don't think there was any reported damage anywhere, at least from the initial articles I read that cropped up when it happened, but maybe new reports will say otherwise.

Certainly gave me a scare! Hope it didn't affect anyone else here negatively!

 

[Lorien]

A good presentation by USGS:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000d75b#dyfi

Should have gotten a few folks attention.

 

[vzshadow]

Yes was working in my office at home (aka a small extra bedroom) on the second floor. We live within 100 yards of a train track and feel the effect of trains going by. I thought it was odd that I didn't hear the train. Even being a geologist the fact that it might have been an earthquake didn't initially cross my mind. About 10 minutes later my wife told me there was an earthquake in southern Maine. I told her I felt it about 10 minutes earlier. We got on the New England Seismic Network website and looked up seismograms for many of the New England sites.

Most people in the Bangor area didn't feel it. I asked my introductory geology class if any of the felt it. Out of 135 students, or however many were there today, none, zero, felt it.

 

[Rich]

Some of us here on the West Coast might scoff at this magnitude, but these are no joke, depending on what kind of ground you're standing/built on, how deep it is, etc. We had one of this magnitude in the 90's. My wife was at a Mariners game in the Kingdome when it happened. (This was an enclosed structure with a concrete roof - a singularly ugly edifice.) She said you could see the floor of the stadium (astroturf over concrete) rippling in waves as the quake progressed.

I happened to be in SF when the Loma Prieta quake struck (exactly 23 years ago today, now that I think of it). I was in a seminar at the airport Marriott. When it started, the California residents in the room acted all kind of nonchalant ("no big deal, you out-of-state wussies - we have these all the time"). But then it got more intense, with the room bouncing around, and anyone standing suddenly couldn't stand erect. Then the tune of the Californians changed, believe me

 

[elizilla]

Hmm. I wonder if this was the cause of the server problems at work today?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Where's your server?

 

[Bear]

Some leaves fell off the trees, but we'll rebuild this spring.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Whew! Sounds like a near miss!

 

[elizilla]

Where's your server?

No idea. Some cloud somewhere.

 

[karl]

Wife thought there was a bear dancing on the roof, No damage after the shaking stopped.