(4) It’s the biggest earthquake to hit the East Coast since the 1890s—there was a 5.9 in 1897 in Virginia—and the third-largest since the USGS started keeping records; a 7.3 in 1886 in Charleston, South Carolina was the strongest.
(5) Judging from preliminary USGS data, the quake was unusually shallow—about 6 kilometers below the surface—which may explain why the shaking was so dramatic.
(6) Additionally, the texture of the Earth’s crust on the East Coast may partly explain why shaking was felt so far away
(7) In the storm of tweets that went out after the quake, @Stanford noted that Boston is actually at a higher risk of devastating quakes than San Francisco. While the city by the bay obviously has more and more severe quakes, the city is better prepared; Boston has more old buildings, constructed before modern earthquake codes went into effect.
(8) The epicenter was not far from the North Anna nuclear power plant, operated by Dominion Power. Following an automated protocol, the plant’s two reactors safely went offline when the quake struck, reports AOLEnergy
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"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Very interesting to see how different the responses to the quakes were depending on where you lived. Is Colorado more mellow? Or did most people just sleep through it?
My wife woke up at the time of the quake but she didn't know why she woke. I was thinking it was her bladder more than feeling the earthquake.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
President Obama has just confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare
and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault". Obama also
announced that the Secret Service and Maxine Waters continues an
investigation of the quake's suspicious ties to the Tea Party. Conservatives
however have proven that it was caused by the founding fathers rolling over
in their graves.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
akilina wrote: So do you think the east coast might get a bigger one in the next few days?
The last class I took on Geology was waaaay back in high school, I'm far from qualified to make any predictions about earthquakes. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if there are some after shocks but I would like to think they would be minimal. Who knows, maybe Mother Nature has had enough of the BS coming out of DC and the stock markets and wants to show her displeasure... :Whistle