I've never been to San Jose

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by SarahGabrielle

I could never even imagine something like that. How did you know when to evacuate the building and how long did that take?

If you're referring to my Vegas experience, we didn't evacuate. Once it was over, that was that - which is the good thing about earthquakes, as long as there's no obvious damage. Funny thing is that I went down to the main floor (casino) afterward, and people were still gambling away... they didn't even notice the quake, since it didn't sway as much on ground level. Not to mention, they were a bit distracted.

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

If you're referring to my Vegas experience, we didn't evacuate. Once it was over, that was that - which is the good thing about earthquakes, as long as there's no obvious damage. Funny thing is that I went down to the main floor (casino) afterward, and people were still gambling away... they didn't even notice the quake, since it didn't sway as much on ground level. Not to mention, they were a bit distracted.

If the Angel Gabriel sounded the Day of Judgment Trumpet, some of those slots players wouldn't notice.

[SarahGabrielle]

That is very interesting. That helped me get the picture. Thanks.

[SarahGabrielle]

Hi Gizmo,

I saw the pics you put up on another thread. Very Nice!!

I also read that your Dad lives in DC. Have you been to DC? How do you like it there as compared to SF?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by SarahGabrielle

Hi Gizmo,

I saw the pics you put up on another thread. Very Nice!!

I also read that your Dad lives in DC. Have you been to DC? How do you like it there as compared to SF?

Thanks... which pictures are you referring to (I've posted a bunch)?

I'm actually from the DC area originally, but we moved out here when I was 7... my dad moved back about 3 years ago for his job, and still maintains a home in the Bay Area (it's a temporary position, so he plans to return when it's over). It's obviously very different from SF, in a number of ways - weather, people/demographics, scenery, and so forth. It's a great city, but has become almost as expensive as CA, and has some serious crime issues. My dad lives in a really nice area, right next to the Washington Zoo, though other parts downtown can get pretty bad. The weather isn't extreme, but they do get that awful humidity in the summer, and a bit of snow in winter. Positive things are the HUGE number of cultural activities (theater, music, museums, etc), the history, and the political "fever" that runs through the city. It's a vibrant and exciting city to live in, but you'd have to keep the negatives in mind too. I personally wouldn't move back there, since I'm too California-ized now, but it's great for some people!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

If the Angel Gabriel sounded the Day of Judgment Trumpet, some of those slots players wouldn't notice.

LOL... sad, but very true!!

[SandyCo]

My two cents on earthquakes: Having lived in L.A. County all my life, I've been through several of them. In 1971, the Sylmar quake woke me up (I was 7 years old), but the damage in our house wasn't too extensive.

In 1994, I was living in Glendale for the Northridge quake (about 15 miles from the epicenter). We lost power for a few hours and our apartment had a few cosmetic cracks, but nothing compared to what the San Fernando Valley experienced (freeways down, fires, water mains broken, buildings collapsed, etc.).

I was also visiting a friend in Joshua Tree for the Landers quake in 1992, only a few miles from the epicenter. That was a rolling motion; the dishes didn't even come out of the cupboards! However, I'll never forget stand in pitch black darkness, clinging to the door frame, which was moving back and forth a LOT.

I'd much rather go through a large rolling earthquake than a smaller thrust earthquake. Strike-slip faults usually move sideways (horizontally) to each other as opposed to thrust faults, which move UP. There are quite a few thrust faults in the SF Valley (and in fact, I think both the Sylmar and Northridge quakes occurred on previously unknown faults! ), and the earthquakes produced are much rougher.

The San Andreas is a strike-slip fault, but it can produce huge earthquakes. The last one in So-Cal occurred in Fort Tejon in 1857, in which the rupture was 225 miles long, and the surface offset was 30 feet! That was an estimated 7.9, by the way.

If I were better at math, I probably would have chosen to be a geologist! I love plate tectonics; can you tell?