View Full Version : Virginia Earthquake of 2011, Aug 23
5.8 in Virginia
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=recent+earthquakes&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Seismic_Zone), this is the strongest earthquake since a similarly sized one in 1897.
USGS page for the event (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usc0005ild.php#details). (Courtesy of Astronuc)
(note: official reports of the strength have varied, started at 5.8, went up to 5.9, and I think reports are back down to 5.8)
A bit of surprise, since the Appalachian chain is not terribly active.
Maine has a few small ones here and there, and the most recent "swarm" has been attributed to tectonic rebound from deformation by the Laurentide ice sheet that scoured our landscape during the last ice age.
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be watching the news tonight to get updates.
I was relatively close to last years 3.6 quake -- I'm not entirely sure how this one compared in my area. I think a little less violent, but more prolonged. (and I didn't discover google's "recent earthquakes" display at that time) (also, I'm half asleep for today's)
Not unexpectedly, USGS sites are jammed.
russ_watters
Aug23-11, 01:15 PM
Felt it outside of Philly - my first. Didn't realize what it was at first.
Http://www.usgs.gov
Felt like 15 sec of 1 inch, side to side oscillations at around 80hz
Felt it in my office in NJ! Had to evacuate. (Now I've got to check the lab. Don't think it did any damage.)
Wow! People felt it that far away! I wouldn't have noticed a small one, even if it could be felt here. Heavy trucks rumbling down this back road cause enough light shaking that a small quake would go unnoticed.
I felt in Ontario. It was so weak that I couldn't tell if my bed is really moving back and forth or I am just feeling it.
Felt it outside of Philly - my first. Didn't realize what it was at first.
Http://www.usgs.gov
Felt like 15 sec of 1 inch, side to side oscillations at around 80hz
Yeah my first as well. I actually thought I was getting sick because I felt dizzy for apparently no reason. Then I realized my desk was slightly shaking.
Jimmy Snyder
Aug23-11, 01:28 PM
Felt in the Jersey suburbs of Phila. I lived in Japan, so I'm used to it. This is not the first one that I felt in NJ, there was one around 1971.
Astronuc
Aug23-11, 01:37 PM
Apparently folks in the Hudson Valley felt it. I did hear a kind of a muffled boom (P-wave probably), but no lateral motion.
This is the event - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usc0005ild.php
5.9 mag, near surface (< 1 mile), but poorly constrained.
Yea felt it in NYC as well. Didn't realize what happened until I saw the aquarium water sloshing around.
Apparently folks in the Hudson Valley felt it. I did hear a kind of a muffled boom (P-wave probably), but no lateral motion.
This is the event - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usc0005ild.php
5.9 mag, near surface (< 1 mile), but poorly constrained.I wouldn't have noticed a "boom" either, since we are under the flight-path for military aircraft headed for Europe and the ME. When there are large troop-movements and/or lots of equipment being deployed in a hurry, there is a lot of rumbling overhead. Commercial aircraft are pretty quiet - military aircraft? Not so much.
When I was a kid, sonic booms were quite commonplace here. SAC had lots of fighters to escort their jet bombers, and their old re-built tankers (generally B-28s) and when those fighters had tanked up, they'd often put on a show for us kids getting back to escorting the bombers. Boom! Life anywhere near the old Dow AFB meant that your skies were constantly streaked with contrails.
Apparently folks in the Hudson Valley felt it. I did hear a kind of a muffled boom (P-wave probably), but no lateral motion.
This is the event - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/usc0005ild.php
5.9 mag, near surface (< 1 mile), but poorly constrained.
That link puts the depth at 1 km, +/- 7.4 km...:biggrin:
Didn't feel anything here in upstate South Carolina. I was in lab with students sitting quietly taking a quiz. Someone would have spoken up if they had felt something.
I see a report on cnn.com that someone in Raleigh NC felt a "small tremor." It must have petered out before it got here.
We felt it hard here in Southern Virginia. I had a split second of vertigo before I felt the shaking.
Preliminary reports are there is no damage here at NASA - still waiting to hear from JLab.
News says there were shattered windows at UVA.
Only issues I have heard about are friends in Northern Virginia having issues with cell service.
Odd, the USGS has another report apparently for the same quake, but with different data
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0005ild/
Odd, the USGS has another report apparently for the same quake, but with different data
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0005ild/It seems the discrepancy is the source reporting the event.
For the geeks that just have to know the history of earthquakes in Virginia.
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/quake.html
The last "big one" in Virginia (about a 5.8 on the Richter scale) was on May 31, 1897, in Pearisburg, the county seat of Giles County. The judge in the courthouse adjourned a trial, jumped over the railing, and fled outside with everyone else as the courthouse rattled, brick walls cracked, and chimneys fell over. It was Virginia's most powerful recorded earthquake - but our recorded memory extend back only a few centuries, and the geologic history of the state extends back hundreds of millions of years. In 1959, Giles County was shaken again by a 3.8 temblor. More recently, windows were broken in a Veterans Day, 1975 earthquake in Blacksburg.
Not meaning to hijack from Virginia but there was a Rare Strong Earthquake In Colorado (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24earthquake.html) last night.
Astronuc
Aug23-11, 02:19 PM
Odd, the USGS has another report apparently for the same quake, but with different data
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0005ild/
First link: se082311a.html
Source Southeast U.S. Seismic Network
Event ID se082311a
Second link: usc0005ild
Source Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
They have to reconcile the two sets of data/recordings.
Not meaning to hijack from Virginia but there was a Rare Strong Earthquake In Colorado (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24earthquake.html) last night.
Yes, there was.
Here's a picture of earthquake damage in Colorado:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8H9G7y74kWkQZT9B56Y3YQDeAL3zf5 ju0bH7bhVRo5IwMX7PzPA
Yes, there was.
Here's a picture of earthquake damage in Colorado:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8H9G7y74kWkQZT9B56Y3YQDeAL3zf5 ju0bH7bhVRo5IwMX7PzPA
:rofl:
How tragic!
Why do I feel rickrolled?
Yes, there was.
Here's a picture of earthquake damage in Colorado:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8H9G7y74kWkQZT9B56Y3YQDeAL3zf5 ju0bH7bhVRo5IwMX7PzPA:rofl:
Makes me want to cry.
:rofl:
How tragic!
:confused: You think the person could have handed it to someone who could have enjoyed an it while they ran for the hills...... alone... :rofl: :rofl:
Here is the link to the damage at NASA Langley : NASA Damage (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=227584810621178&set=a.115596668486660.6213.115589531820707&type=1&ref=nf)
Here is the link to the damage at NASA Langley : NASA Damage (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=227584810621178&set=a.115596668486660.6213.115589531820707&type=1&ref=nf)Holy Moly!@!!!
That's going to cost upwards of a million dollars to repair that.
Here is the link to the damage at NASA Langley : NASA Damage (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=227584810621178&set=a.115596668486660.6213.115589531820707&type=1&ref=nf)
:approve:
Holy Moly!@!!!
That's going to cost upwards of a million dollars to repair that.
Definitely going to have to figure out how to re-engineer that whole structure.
Jimmy Snyder
Aug23-11, 02:46 PM
No damage here. My house has always looked like this.
Locally, the quake was reported in southern and far-western Maine. They must be far more delicate persons that I am. Kind of like the "Princess and the Pea" sensitivity.
About 20+ years back, we had a young couple over for drinks and a few games of cards. The various bottles of olive oil, peanut oil, etc started clanging together, and the young woman told her boyfriend "stop jiggling your legs" (he has a lot of nervous energy and doesn't sit for long without fidgeting). He said "I'm not doing anything" and sure enough, the whole house was pulsating. Our property was located on a very large deposit of alluvial sand, and I was quite surprised that we could feel a small quake so strongly.
It stirred some interest in the Fukushima thread - apparently North Anna NPP lost offsite power.
Insanity
Aug23-11, 04:27 PM
It was a short while before learned about the quake, but around the same time within a few minutes, I noticed some slight vibration in SW MI.
CosmicEye
Aug23-11, 04:41 PM
Holy crap. I couldnt wait to post. I was in class on the 4th (top floor) of the building when it happened. Ok so class was about to end when the floor started slightly vibrating like a big bus was outside or something fell on the floor below us. Then a second later, it got sort of violent and the entire builnding was really swaying back and forth pretty good, you could feel the building move. Everyone in my classroom was quiet and looking at each other when I said "Yo, is that an Earthquake!?". I looked outside to see the lightpoles swaying as well. Then we evacuated and went home.
Freaking AWESOME! Ive always wanted to feel one and I finally have. Ok Hurricanes: Check. Earthquake: check. Up next is a tornado.
Freaking AWESOME! Ive always wanted to feel one and I finally have. Ok Hurricanes: Check. Earthquake: check. Up next is a tornado.
I've never had any of those. How come everyone else gets to suffer through catastrophes and I don't? My life sucks!
WannabeNewton
Aug23-11, 05:42 PM
I was working out when it happened and I really wanted to believe it was my chest coming out >.>
CosmicEye
Aug23-11, 06:57 PM
Well theres a decent Hurricane coming up the east coast. Where do you live to have no natural disaster?
I also forgot Blizzard on that list: check
Well theres a decent Hurricane coming up the east coast. Where do you live to have no natural disaster?
I also forgot Blizzard on that list: check
Oh - don't forget volcanoes!
Oh - don't forget volcanoes!
Aw, heck, you build one of those. Just bury 2000 lbs of iron fillings and 2000 lbs of sulfur a few feet underground in the town square one night and the town will suddenly be full of news crews from CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC, and Al Jazeera.
Ernest Glitch's letter to Michael Farraday complaining about the book, The Young Mans Book of Amusement that Farraday sent to Glitch's son (http://www.lateralscience.co.uk/VicN2/vicN2.html)
On the other hand, that's one of those things that might not be such a smart thing to do post 9/11.
Tectonic plates on the east coast are one solid plate. The west coast has multiple fault lines.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/earthquake-nuclear-wake-call-us-14367336?tab=9482930§ion=1206853&playlist=1363340
Astronuc
Aug23-11, 09:10 PM
Tectonic plates on the east coast are one solid plate. The west coast has multiple fault lines.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/earthquake-nuclear-wake-call-us-14367336?tab=9482930§ion=1206853&playlist=1363340 The media really likes to sensationalize this stuff.
UTC DATE-TIME LAT LON DEPTH Location
Mag y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km
5.8 2011/08/23 17:51:04 37.936 -77.933 6.0 8 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.8 2011/08/23 18:46:50 37.931 -77.935 0.1 9 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.2 2011/08/23 19:20:26 37.911 -78.004 0.1 13 km ( 8 mi) S of Louisa, VA
4.2 2011/08/24 00:04:36 37.912 -77.951 7.9 11 km ( 7 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
3.4 2011/08/24 04:45:26 37.925 -77.994 4.9 11 km ( 7 mi) S of Louisa, VA
17:51:04 UTC = 01:51 PM EDT
There were a couple more vibrations.
http://m.polls.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=helenaspopkin277AE443-1089-F2FC-2D0F-05BBC83AAAE0.jpg&width=nws
http://m.polls.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=helenaspopkin277AE443-1089-F2FC-2D0F-05BBC83AAAE0.jpg&width=nwsRofl, the headline makes it even funnier.
That's hilarious.
I hope no one was in that lawn chair when it tipped.
That's hilarious.
I hope no one was in that lawn chair when it tipped.Oh, the humanity!!!!
DoggerDan
Aug24-11, 12:06 AM
I felt the one that happened here in Colorado last night around this time (11:46:19 MST, to be precise). Just a little shaking, lasted less than 10 seconds. Near the border with New Mexico.
First quake I ever felt here in Colorado!
I wonder if what let loose on the East Coast could have triggered the one over here?
wuliheron
Aug24-11, 01:53 AM
Looting begins in N.Y. as Wall Street reopens.
D.C. built on swamp, promises to rebuild if it sinks.
Film at 11:00.
khemist
Aug24-11, 06:13 AM
There was an earthquake in Oakland tonight. How come we dont get a thread for it?!?! Oh yea, we get em all the time >_>
Felt it outside of Philly - my first. Didn't realize what it was at first.
Http://www.usgs.gov
Felt like 15 sec of 1 inch, side to side oscillations at around 80hz
Ok, Russ, I can buy 15 seconds of one inch movement, I will give you that, but how in the world did you come up with 80Hz ?
Technical reports of the earthquake, or seat of the pants feel, and if seat of the pants feel, how do you know it was 80hz ? lol.
Rhody... :biggrin:
TheStatutoryApe
Aug24-11, 07:25 AM
I have a lady friend in the DC area that is apparently really freaked out by the quake. I never pay all that much attention but from what I remember of my own experiences 5.9 isn't very bad. Just very.. noticeable.
Freaking AWESOME! Ive always wanted to feel one and I finally have. Ok Hurricanes: Check. Earthquake: check. Up next is a tornado.
I've never had any of those. How come everyone else gets to suffer through catastrophes and I don't? My life sucks!
Well, living only 2 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake back in the early 90's, I can say you'd probably change your mind if you went through one of those.
wuliheron
Aug24-11, 08:47 AM
There was an earthquake in Oakland tonight. How come we dont get a thread for it?!?! Oh yea, we get em all the time >_>
I had a housemate once in silicon valley who had never been in an earthquake and was terrified of them. Within a couple of months moving there he got caught twice on the toilet. :biggrin:
I'm in Virginia Beach now and when my monitor started swaying I just looked out the window, saw that none of the building or trees were falling down, and went right back to work.
wuliheron
Aug24-11, 08:52 AM
Well, living only 2 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake back in the early 90's, I can say you'd probably change your mind if you went through one of those.
I've got friends who live about 2 miles from the epicenter of this quake in Va. So far the worst I've heard happened was a few book cases falling over and one oversized fish tank being destroyed. These people don't even know how to drive on icy roads much less deal with an earthquake, but when it comes to hurricanes and tornadoes they're prepared.
Jack21222
Aug24-11, 09:17 AM
I live in a suburb of Baltimore, just about 150 miles from the epicenter, and I felt nothing. Neither did the other two people in my house. Apparently, it was strong enough to cause some damage to older buildings about 20 miles away, but for some reason, we got nothing here.
My girlfriend texted me to ask if I was alright, and I said "yeah, why?" She said "earthquake" and I said "huh?" She was shocked I didn't feel anything. My grandmother called my mother about it, and when my mother said she didn't feel anything, my grandmother asked my mother "are you on pills or something?"
I'm a little bit disappointed. It would have been neat to feel an earthquake.
ljdramone
Aug24-11, 05:35 PM
I was on the 4th floor of an 8 floor office building in downtown DC. There were a couple of jolts that felt like a heavy truck going by, then a pause just long enough for people to start wondering what was happening before the peak motion started. It lasted about 30 seconds, I think. I don't remember any noise at all. We were debating whether it it was an earthquake or a terrorist bomb or what when the building alarm went off and everybody evacuated.
Walked past an old stone church near Mt Vernon Square later, and saw some minor damage from the quake, with chunks of masonry lying around that had fallen from the steeple.
CosmicEye
Aug24-11, 10:52 PM
These people don't even know how to drive on icy roads much less deal with an earthquake, but when it comes to hurricanes and tornadoes they're prepared.
Yeah right. There was no milk and some of the shelves were stripped in the Grocerystore after the EQ :rolleyes: How lame is that. People cant even drive when it drizzles here. I can understand a heavy downpour but Christ, the speedlimit goes from 45 to 20 with a sprinkle.
DoggerDan
Aug25-11, 01:49 AM
It's not a real earthquake until it ships water out of the toilet.
Astronuc
Aug25-11, 08:36 PM
UTC DATE-TIME LAT LON DEPTH Location
Mag y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km
5.8 2011/08/23 17:51:04 37.936 -77.933 6.0 8 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.8 2011/08/23 18:46:50 37.931 -77.935 0.1 9 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.2 2011/08/23 19:20:26 37.911 -78.004 0.1 13 km ( 8 mi) S of Louisa, VA
4.2 2011/08/24 00:04:36 37.912 -77.951 7.9 11 km ( 7 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
3.4 2011/08/24 04:45:26 37.925 -77.994 4.9 11 km ( 7 mi) S of Louisa, VA
2.5 2011/08/25 04:06:47 37.923 -77.988 0.1 11 km ( 7 mi) S of Louisa, VA
4.5 2011/08/25 05:07:50 37.940 -77.896 5.0 7 km ( 5 mi) S of Mineral, VA
2.3 2011/08/25 06:37:31 37.912 -77.969 0.1 12 km ( 7 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.4 2011/08/25 15:27:47 37.951 -77.924 0.1 6 km ( 4 mi) S of Mineral, VA
2.6 2011/08/25 23:40:56 37.903 -77.814 4.9 14 km ( 9 mi) SE of Mineral, VA
17:51:04 UTC = 01:51 PM EDT
This is interesting, not only since it was about 8-9 miles from a nuclear plant, or that the magnitude of the initial event was within about 0.2 to 0.3 mag of the DBE of the NPP, but they have having a little swarm - and this is an area that doesn't normally get 4s and 5s.
In the NE, there's been a few more tremors.
It bears watching, because something has changed.
UTC DATE-TIME LAT LON DEPTH Location
Mag y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km
5.8 2011/08/23 17:51:04 37.936 -77.933 6.0 8 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.8 2011/08/23 18:46:50 37.931 -77.935 0.1 9 km ( 5 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.2 2011/08/23 19:20:26 37.911 -78.004 0.1 13 km ( 8 mi) S of Louisa, VA
4.2 2011/08/24 00:04:36 37.912 -77.951 7.9 11 km ( 7 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
3.4 2011/08/24 04:45:26 37.925 -77.994 4.9 11 km ( 7 mi) S of Louisa, VA
2.5 2011/08/25 04:06:47 37.923 -77.988 0.1 11 km ( 7 mi) S of Louisa, VA
4.5 2011/08/25 05:07:50 37.940 -77.896 5.0 7 km ( 5 mi) S of Mineral, VA
2.3 2011/08/25 06:37:31 37.912 -77.969 0.1 12 km ( 7 mi) SSW of Mineral, VA
2.4 2011/08/25 15:27:47 37.951 -77.924 0.1 6 km ( 4 mi) S of Mineral, VA
17:51:04 UTC = 01:51 PM EDT
This is interesting, not only since it was about 8-9 miles from a nuclear plant, or that the magnitude of the initial event was within about 0.2 to 0.3 mag of the DBE of the NPP, but they have having a little swarm - and this is an area that doesn't normally get 4s and 5s.
In the NE, there's been a few more tremors.
It bears watching, because something has changed.I thought it was normal for any earthquake to have aftershocks for months.
Scientists are actually surprised at the low number of aftershocks.
"Low" number of Va. earthquake aftershocks felt
For the size earthquake that occurred, I think the number of aftershocks so far has been remarkably low," said Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the USGS Earthquake Information Center in Colorado. "I don't know if that's an indication of things to come or not. ... There's likely there will be some more, but I don't know for how long and how large."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/24/national/main20096620.shtml
It would be bad it this turns out to be a foreshock and a larger earthquake is yet to come.
Astronuc
Aug26-11, 07:45 AM
Given a 5.8 mag, the aftershocks are not surprising. There are usually some aftershocks.
Of interest is - what has changed that initiated the 5.8 mag in an area that rarely gets those kind of quakes.
We see small quakes - on the order of 2s or 3s - and these are usally isolated. We could have a 4, but that would be unusual.
Recent earthquakes in NE US - http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/quake.cgi
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.