Ever worry about LA Earthquake risk? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: tornadoes, living, codes)

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by kidcanaduh

Big Bear was an aftershock of the 7.3 Landers quake.

SCEDC | Big Bear Earthquake (1992) (http://www.data.scec.org/chrono_index/bigbear.html - broken link)


SCEDC | Landers Earthquake (1992) (http://www.data.scec.org/chrono_index/landersq.html - broken link)

Landers Earthquake: June 28, 1992. LOCATION: W 6 miles north of Yucca Valley. MAGNITUDE: 7.3.

Aftershock of Big Bear or not, I felt them both. You old enough to remember Dragnet the TV show? Say this in the voice of Joe Friday, "...the date was June 28, it was summer in Los Angeles..."

[kidcanaduh]

The odd non fall winter quake. It happens. It rained here for the past two days, but it's still winter.

The great 1906 quake happened in mid April, less than a month after winter ended.

The 9.2 Alaska quake you mentioned previously occurred on the day of maximum high tide. The December 26, 2004, 9.1 in Sumatra, Indonesia, occurred on the day of a full moon.

We just had a new moon, and the alignment of three celestial objects, the sun, Earth, and moon occur twice a month, at the full and new moons. During these times, gravitational forces are at a maximum. The Earth and moon are closest together at "perigee," once a month. The Earth and sun are closest together at "perihelion," once a year. Perihelion currently occurs in early January. January 3 in 2008.

It's January. Winter. Earthquake season.

Perigee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apsis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On January 2, a volcano erupted. On January 5, seven 4.3 to 6.5 quakes hit in western Canada. On Jan 6, a 6.5 hit in Greece.

It's no coincidence.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by kidcanaduh

The 9.2 Alaska quake you mentioned previously occurred on the day of maximum high tide.

Well, yeah, but the question of the 1964, 9.2 Alaska quake was that I thought you said "mega quakes" or "big ones" (forget exactly what you called them) only happen near the equator.

[Landwatch]

Though we have fears still as far as I know our apartment has those hydraulic things that will bear the shivers. However, it doesn't mean we are completely safe.

[kidcanaduh]

Originally Posted by kidcanaduh

We just had a new moon, and the alignment of three celestial objects, the sun, Earth, and moon occur twice a month, at the full and new moons. During these times, gravitational forces are at a maximum. The Earth and moon are closest together at "perigee," once a month. The Earth and sun are closest together at "perihelion," once a year. Perihelion currently occurs in early January. January 3 in 2008.

It's January. Winter. Earthquake season.

Perigee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Apsis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On January 2, a volcano erupted. On January 5, seven 4.3 to 6.5 quakes hit in western Canada. On Jan 6, a 6.5 hit in Greece.

It's no coincidence.

Another 6.1 hit in western Canada.

10-degree Map Centered at 50°N,130°W



Then, a 6.4 hit off Oregon earlier today.

10-degree Map Centered at 45°N,125°W


Buckle up California.

It's getting closer.

[Chelito23]

Hokus Pokus, Abracadabra....

[kidcanaduh]

tick, tick, tick, tick...

[kidcanaduh]

Wish I had a good digital camera right now. There are major earthquake clouds in the sky where I live. We ususally get smaller quakes, 4s, so it will be interesting to see if we get hit by anything.

[anniebird]

What are earthquakes like? Depends entirely upon where you are in relation to the epicenter and what kind of ground is under you. I was about 20 miles from Sylmar in 71 and it was scary, but we didn't have that much property damage. The Northridge quake was a different story. I was about 3 miles from the epicenter in a three story apartment complex.

The quake's motion was so intense that we literally couldn't walk - thrown back into the bed when trying to get in the doorway. The ceiling overhead was falling on us in chunks. When it was over, the flashlight that I'd so carefully left by my bed had been smashed to bits by my lamp and what used to be my nightstand. Things like books, decorative items, etc. literally flew across the rooms. Low height furniture tipped over, and my refrigerator moved a couple of feet. Getting out of the apartment was great fun -- pitch black all around, debris blocking the exits. Once in the hallway, neighbors holding hands in a giant human chain hoping that the floor still existed between us and the stairwell.

We made it outside, only to see fires in every direction (easy to see because there were no lights anywhere) and our building (200 or so apt. units) at a new angle. This apt. was one of those with the parking on the ground floor and some of the support beams looked scary.

My first thought was that everyone I knew was dead and that somehow we survived. People were frantic, but neighbors were so cool about sharing jackets, shoes and cell phones.

Once the sun came out, people began to go back inside to try to salvage some of their belongings. Because the building was such a mess, people were throwing things off of their balconies -- including furniture-- figuring it was the only way to get their stuff out.

I moved out about a week later and was nearly the last one. That was an exciting move -- aftershocks, no boxes to be had anywhere, no storage places that had room and all the moving companies were overbooked. I moved (what was left of) a two-bdrm apt in trash bags into my friend's garage.

The big upside is that we were all physically okay. But I don't think that many people go through something that intense without it affecting you profoundly. It took months to begin to sleep well again. My building was "red tagged" (meaning it was unsafe) but rather than knock it down or something similar, they just bolted it back together, and about a year later, it was ready for new (and unsuspecting) tenants.

Luckily I had earthquake insurance, so financially I was fine, but like a previous poster said, since Northridge, you can't really get comprehensive/affordable eq insurance anymore.

My friend lived about a mile from me, but up on a mountain and didn't have any damage at all. In fact, they still had gas about an hour later and were making coffee when we got there. Completely different experience, only a mile away. Bedrock is better If I still lived in CA, I'd keep my flashlight between my mattress and box spring and try to live in a single-story place if possible.

Hope that none of you ever experience another Northridge!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by anniebird

The quake's motion was so intense that we literally couldn't walk - thrown back into the bed when trying to get in the doorway.

Hope that none of you ever experience another Northridge!

I remember the Sylmar quake (living in Canoga Park) and the Northridge quake (living in Moorpark) too. What is amazing is both were only moderate quakes, not major quakes. Could you imagine a major quake in LA? Fortuneatly, much of the valley homes are single story ranch style houses with low centers of gravity, flexible timber construction, lots of load bearing walls, etc. - virtually earthquake proof.