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M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

earthquake.usgs.gov

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Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#71

Post by dylan604 »

Taniwha wrote: post #43
bombcar wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone is secretly (or openly) waiting for Teh Big One we’ve been promised for decades, when Western California will fall into the ocean and Las Vegas become a seaport.

There's an SF short story (Larry Niven I think) about a seismologist who predicts the big one, but the math is not quite right, the story gets out, panic ensues everyone heads for Nevada, he guy is still working in his lab trying to figure why the sign on his equation is coming out negative when all the rest of the US falls into the sea leaving just his part of CA

This is a great cliff's notes version that actually makes me want to read it, especially since it's a short story. From the description, that's all it needs.

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#72

Post by dylan604 »

rbanffy wrote: post #9
huevosabio wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Been 12 years in SF and this was the strongest. We were awake as well so we felt the whole thing. I think I saw the walls move. Luckily it was short.

Contrast that with my experience in Ireland - 10 years and I heard thunder only twice, and saw a lightning strike only once. We sometimes get alerts due to some tropical storm that made its way up here, and the most we need to do is to collect our garbage bins and avoid biking because of the gusts.

That's actually surprising to me. Being in the North Atlantic, I would have thought thunder storms would be common. I lived in LA for 5 years, and I definitely missed thunder and lightning. If I were going to space, I'd bring rain/thunder/lightning sounds to listen to like we've seen in sci-fi films even more so than the ones with cricket sound tracks.

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#74

Post by dboreham »

xkcd-sucks wrote: post #68
chrsig wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From someone that grew up in New England, but experienced a 4.x in california: I assure you it does not feel small. The revelation that the ground does not stay where I left it was quite disturbing.

New England is seismically active :) If you're not aware of it, the tremors can feel like a large passing truck or something like that https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=40.31872...

There are even earthquakes you can feel in "Old England". Not often, but I've experienced one. Lived in the BA for a few years and felt many small quakes. Lived in a very seismically active part of Montana for 25 years and felt nothing. YMMV.

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#75

Post by sharksauce »

xkcd-sucks wrote: post #68
chrsig wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From someone that grew up in New England, but experienced a 4.x in california: I assure you it does not feel small. The revelation that the ground does not stay where I left it was quite disturbing.

New England is seismically active :) If you're not aware of it, the tremors can feel like a large passing truck or something like that https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=40.31872...

Indeed -- Mount Desert Island (home of Acadia NP) had a small one just this weekend!

And we had a M4.2 one there about twenty years ago when I was living there.

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#76

Post by p1mrx »

Taniwha wrote: post #43
bombcar wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone is secretly (or openly) waiting for Teh Big One we’ve been promised for decades, when Western California will fall into the ocean and Las Vegas become a seaport.

There's an SF short story (Larry Niven I think) about a seismologist who predicts the big one, but the math is not quite right, the story gets out, panic ensues everyone heads for Nevada, he guy is still working in his lab trying to figure why the sign on his equation is coming out negative when all the rest of the US falls into the sea leaving just his part of CA

"A Slight Miscalculation" by Ben Bova

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/83720/so-that-eart...

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#78

Post by gnarlynarwhal42 »

cheschire wrote: post #46
Taniwha wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's an SF short story (Larry Niven I think) about a seismologist who predicts the big one, but the math is not quite right, the story gets out, panic ensues everyone heads for Nevada, he guy is still working in his lab trying to figure why the sign on his equation is coming out negative when all the rest of the US falls into the sea leaving just his part of CA

“… Alaska can come too.” https://youtu.be/kCpjgl2baLs

lol I knew exactly what this was just from that quote! what a great time to be alive and online!

endofworld.swf

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#79

Post by dekhn »

xkcd-sucks wrote: post #68
chrsig wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From someone that grew up in New England, but experienced a 4.x in california: I assure you it does not feel small. The revelation that the ground does not stay where I left it was quite disturbing.

New England is seismically active :) If you're not aware of it, the tremors can feel like a large passing truck or something like that https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=40.31872...

I grew up near a town called "Moodus" in Connecticut which constantly made noises and had small quakes.

But it didn't prepare me for the few small quakes I experienced in the bay area (typically a bunch of car alarms go off and dogs bark, there's a thud, and then a gentle rocking).

Re: M4.6 Earthquake – 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA

#80

Post by jasonjmcghee »

smcleod wrote: post #22

4.6 is really small, what's the actual news here? Was it strangely shallow or something?

I live in a nearby city and it woke me up (bed was shaking). Felt bigger than that, but not enough to knock anything over, seems odd to be on HN front page.

Apparently 7.6km depth is "very shallow"

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