Quake: Not a game.

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Xavierblazer

Vault Senior Citizen
An earthquake just shook the earth, very close to me. I didn't really feel it, but its scary to have all this strong, earthly forces practically at my doorstep.

WEST SALEM, Ill. - A 5.4 earthquake that appeared to rival the strongest recorded in the region rocked people awake up to 350 miles away early Friday, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a powerful Midwest temblor.

The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered 6 miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt in such distant cities as Chicago, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, 350 miles north of the epicenter, but there were no early reports of injuries or significant damage.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24195650/

The quake occurred in the Illinois basin-Ozark dome region that covers parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas and stretches from Indianapolis and St. Louis to Memphis, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The organization’s Web site said earthquakes occur irregularly in the area, and that the largest historical earthquake in the region — also a magnitude 5.4 — caused damage in southern Illinois in 1968.
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I live in Springfield, MO, less than 350 miles to the west of the epicenter.

What do you think? Is it the end of the world? Should I get out into the open before my house falls over?

BTW: any interesting first hand earthquake experience anyone want to share with me so I donut feel so alone(or scared)


EDIT: on a lighter note(I cant resist):
“Oh, yeah, I felt it. It was interesting,” Griswold said. “A lot of shaking.”
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Must...resist...sarcastic...remark...
Inbread Illinois trash aren't at their smartest at five in the morning.
 
BTW: any interesting first hand earthquake experience anyone want to share with me so I donut feel so alone(or scared)
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I felt a 4.7 once. When i was a kid there was a bigger one i heard. All you can do is sit under an archway, on a doorway or in a bathtub or go outside (if you can do so in less than 2-3 seconds).
 
Say I was at my computer when they went off again. I could get to a doorway in 2 seconds, or outside in about 8. Which is relatively safer?
 
I don't know. But if the way to outside leads through a staircase, don't do it. Staircases collpase, even though the tube structure that holds them remains standing.

I remember i was in bed reading when the last earthquake hit. It wasn't too strong: some books fell of the shelf and some glasses toppled over, but that's all. At firs i thought man, i've gotta stop shaking my foot (i have this nervous tic of moving my foot). I stopped but the bed was moving. I thought: what the hell? Oooh, earthquake. So i went and waited in a doorway until it was all over.
 
Blakut said:
I don't know. But if the way to outside leads through a staircase, don't do it. Staircases collpase, even though the tube structure that holds them remains standing.

I remember i was in bed reading when the last earthquake hit. It wasn't too strong: some books fell of the shelf and some glasses toppled over, but that's all. At firs i thought man, i've gotta stop shaking my foot (i have this nervous tic of moving my foot). I stopped but the bed was moving. I thought: what the hell? Oooh, earthquake. So i went and waited in a doorway until it was all over.
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Cool.

Sorry If I sound like a little puss, but the fault line a couple hundred miles to my right caused this

quake.jpg


According to the news its still going. A 4.5 or something about an hour ago. I felt not a tremble, though. I don't think I'll die today :clap:
 
I once slept through a 4.0 earthquake so meh...

The whole house was shaking and my parents couldn't believe I slept through it all.
 
I once slept through a 4.0 earthquake so meh...

The whole house was shaking and my parents couldn't believe I slept through it all.
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Some of my friends first saved the game they were playing on their computer before taking cover. Ohters didn't even take cover, they held on to their computer so as not to let it get damaged.
 
Well . . . a couple of years ago one earthquake did hapen. At the same time I was having sex with my girlfriend on the floor of the appartment of a friend of hers. So I didn't notice. Neither of us did.
 
What do you think? Is it the end of the world? Should I get out into the open before my house falls over?
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No biggie, when I used to live in Mexico, there used to be a lot of earthquakes every year. Every Summer, when I go visit my family, there's usually one or two. Not a problem, most buildings are built to withstand pretty strong 'quakes, the problem is living/being in a shoddy-built structure at such a time.

As a kid, I recall being in the thirteenth floor of an hotel when a 6.something 'quake hit the seashore town. I wasn't that much scared as thrilled by feeling the thing rock back and forth.
 
I used to live in a tent in California. Felt small tremors all of the time while sleeping on the ground. Or maybe that was just the semi trucks rolling along by on the highway? Never anything significant though.
 
Ozrat said:
I used to live in a tent in California. Felt small tremors all of the time while sleeping on the ground. Or maybe that was just the semi trucks rolling along by on the highway? Never anything significant though.
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or maybe that was those hippy chicks rocking your world?
 
I lived in Los Angeles in the suburbs most of my life and I remember a few tremors that shook the ground lightly for a few seconds. It's a strange surprise until you realize it's an earthquake and run to cover.

Anything in the 4.0 range is getting close to bad. The Northridge earthquake did some modest damage and that was 6.0.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
 
I slept through almost the entire Northridge quake. Except for the final aftershock.

For myself, coming from Los Angeles, I just think it's kind of funny when people freak out about quakes. Most of the time they're not that big a deal, and even the fairly big ones don't do too much damage unless you're in a building not retrofitted for earthquakes. Or if you happen to be in a mostly adobe or wood building.

There are so many other things that do more damage- hurricanes, floods, tornados- that it's sort of silly to freak out every time the earth shakes.
 
Back in 2001 or 2000 we had a pretty good little earthquake up here in seattle. It shook for probably 15 seconds.

It is weird because quakes go through 3 distinct stages. Up and down shaking, left and right shaking, and then a third one I can't remember...

Anways... Up and down wasn't so bad and it went on like that for probably 5 or 6 seconds. I was in highschool and we all sat around looking at eachother trying to figure out what was happening. Then my teacher said "Yeaaaaa.... you should probably get under your desks"... so we did.

Other than the lenght it seemed pretty minor but it turned out to be a 6.0. There was almost 0 damage, I think our capital building cracked but that was it.

They evacuated the school anyways and on the way out some people were crying. It made me laugh. That earthquake was fun and exciting, nothing to cry about.

Anyways, they say the best thing to do is, if you are inside, stay inside, if you are outside, stay outside.

If you are inside, get under cover and hold on to it. If you are outside try and find some place away from large building and espically power lines.

Other than that it is pretty much the basic stuff. Have food, water, and meds for three days. Have an out of state contact you and your friends/family can call and check in with. Find your water and gas shut off, ect.

I've felt one other earthquake up here that was pretty cool. It was less than a second but it felt like a truck slammed into my house. It was like the ground was going 15 mph (that is pretty slow for you metricers) and stopped. It was just a jolt. Very cool.
 
Moving Target said:
Most of the time they're not that big a deal, and even the fairly big ones don't do too much damage unless you're in a building not retrofitted for earthquakes. Or if you happen to be in a mostly adobe or wood building.
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The world's first and oldest skyscrapers are made out of earth and are located in a fault zone, they seem fine to me. Plustoo. I would rather be in a building that was built with earthquakes in mind during the design/build phases rather than one that was retrofitted.

Where are you from, LA or something? :roll:
 
Some kinds of adobe are stronger than concrete.

That said, Oz. I seem to recall hearing about a small city in Italy somewhere that has a few eight story buildings, built in Roman times. And no, I'm not talking about Roman Insulae.
 
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