Today marks my first time experiencing that quintessential Southern California natural disaster: the earthquake.
I was sitting in my apartment this afternoon, printing out some files for school, when a low rumbling began vibrating through the walls and along the floor. The entire building shook back and forth, wobbling upon the two support beams which keep the living room perched above the carport. The sound of the quake was incredibly surreal and unexpected. The neighborhood was completely silent, aside from a really deep (really, really deep) rumbling. After it was over, a baby started crying across the street, and a few dogs started barking. Then, back to silence. It was over.
And as much as I should probably be nervous or scared, I wasn’t. I was excited and delighted. As I was telling George earlier today, it’s absolutely surreal to sense your tenuous position atop a gigantic tectonic plate, moving of its own accord, to a schedule which humans are (currently) powerless to fully grasp. Our Earth is an amazing, amazing thing. And to feel so small, so insignificant, if only for a moment, is a beautiful experience indeed.
Thankfully, this was just a 5.4, and the epicenter was 20 miles away. Nobody was hurt and there was no major damage. Hopefully this little quake eased a bit of the tension on the San Andreas, if only to stave off The Big One for a few more years till I high-tail it out of here…
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Comments (14)
Simeon wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 5:20 amCool! I heard about the quake yesterday and wondered if you’d have a post up about it. I can completely relate to the feelings of excitement and awe. I lived in CA until the age of 12, so I remember quite a few quakes - they seemed like a pretty normal occurrence to me. The worst we ever had just knocked some books off the shelves - fortunately we were never close enough to any of the big ones to sustain any real damage.
As far as a small quake staving off The Big One: you have to remember that the Richter scale is logarithmic - each point signifies 10 times the energy of the point below. So, if you figure The Big One to be an 8.4 (for example), then this 5.4 released only 1/1000th of that potential energy…
genevieve wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 9:04 amyou know, I moved to the midwest not really thinking much about tordado’s. I mean, they were just in the movies. And I have been through a few earthquakes back home in Seattle. But, now that I have had a few tornado scares, I would take an earthquake over a tornado anyday. (note to mother earth: I’m not suggesting that you go for it anytime soon.)My reasoning is simple. An earthquake just happens, so you have to think on your toes and deal with it immediately. Tornado’s are trackable and in some cases you deal with HOURS of, “you might need to head to the basement soon. It’s getting close. Don’t panic. Just get to the basement…soon…sometime soon. We aren’t exactly sure when, but just be prepared. something could happen soon.” Good golly! It is so stressful and scary!!! Too much anticipation for the worst.
I say, just get it over with.
Andrew wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 9:18 amSimeon, thanks for the explanation! I was aware that stress released by smaller earthquakes was negligible, but I wasn’t aware of the specifics of it. Now I know!
Gen, that’s hilarious! You’ve completely nailed it. Tornados are all about waiting…and waiting….and listening to a radio…and waiting….and….whew…its all over. That said, there’s nothing that beats the surreal beauty of a tornado sky. The green light everywhere, the seemingly glowing foliage. Really beautiful.
Sholeh wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 9:24 amOne time, I found myself trying to explain how I actually LIKED tornado weather growing up, but the person looked at my like I was crazy. They were not from the Midwest.
cait wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 3:19 pmi love tornado weather too! the green sky is so eerily beautiful. although earlier this summer, on a friend’s balcony we were certain that we saw a funnel cloud coming straight for us.
we were mistaken.
it was just a pointy cloud.
Heather wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 3:46 pmSo glad you got to experience a SAFE earthquake! Did you know what it was immediately, or did your mind run through other options first?
cait wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 8:47 pmOf course Aunt Ann’s house got hit by a tornado this summer in Omaha with no warning, same thing in Kansas City, middle of the night everyone sleeping, no sirens, just glass suddenly breaking and the roof leaving the house. So…there ya go.
kathy wrote that on Jul 30 08 at 8:49 pmWoops, I was logged in as Cait but I’m really Kathy. P.S. I too love tornado weather. It’s so dramatic.
Simeon wrote that on Jul 31 08 at 6:25 amI have to agree with you about loving the Midwest tornado weather. Not the tornadoes so much themselves, but the sight of that big dark wall cloud approaching from the horizon, the crashing of thunder all around, the howling winds, the magnificent displays of lighting criss-crossing the heavens — the power of nature at full strength. Emilia could never understand why during a thunderstorm, I would be outside on the porch like I was watching an action-adventure movie…!
That’s one thing I really miss in Recife: there just aren’t any good thunderstorms. Maybe once or twice a year (at most!) you’ll hear a low rumble in the distance, and that’s it.
genevieve wrote that on Jul 31 08 at 7:23 amdon’t get me wrong, Tornado weather is amazing! But I like it most when I know I am safe. Then, it’s time for a cup of joe on the porch!!
Talieh wrote that on Jul 31 08 at 10:58 amThis summer my family and I went to New Mexico and on our way back through Oklahoma we went through 2 tornado warnings. The first tornado warning we were able to drive in a pocket of good weather, but the abnormally dark sky with bursts of lightening every second was an incredible sight to watch. The second one we had some warning because we had a friend of ours look the weather up online and she said that we needed to pull over as soon as possible. We found this gas station and within seconds of us getting inside this torrent of rain started. It was completely horizontal because of the wind, and it was simply awe inspiring to watch such power.
Juicebox wrote that on Aug 01 08 at 3:12 pmPerfect description, as always, Andrew
I hate that loud rumbling sound…I’ve been experiencing it pretty much all my life, from Asia to the US of A. I’m glad you can see the “fun” in it all - really. It was kinda cool, actually, because for the first time I wasn’t freaking out during the earthquake. It just happened and then stopped. They’re usually very short, thank God.
Still not a fan of the sound, though
Andrew wrote that on Aug 02 08 at 12:33 pmHeather, for a spit-second I wondered if what I was hearing was a helicopter or jet flying overhead, but soon realized that it was, in fact, an earthquake. And yeah! I’m glad it was a safe one, too! Whew!
Great story, Talieh! Reminds me of the time we were driving through Nebraska, a funnel cloud literally chasing us down the highway. It was absolutely terrifying on the one hand, but once we were to safety, we were able to appreciate the beauty and power we were able to witness. Truly awe-inspiring.
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