Earthquakes (Bluefield: live, area, counties)

[Sharedspirit]

I wasn't near the quake, just heard it on the news. I have friends near the swarms in yellowstone and in California. I think they are crazy for living there! Yep, I'm a big chicken!

[snorpus]

Originally Posted by David Kennedy

Yes...a fault line does come to us...from Arkansas to West Virginia...the last big quake was in the early 1800's...rivers ran backwards for hours...it's in the history books...

DK is probably referring to the New Madrid (Missouri) Earthquake of 1812. There were no seismographs back then, but the strength of that quake has been estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter Scale. Since the Richter Scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale, an 8.0 would be roughly 50,000 times stronger than a 3.5 quake.

[tbailey1138]

Here's a good article on the earthquake from the Huntington paper.

Rare quake slightly shakes region - The Herald Dispatch

[happeemommee]

Originally Posted by Sharedspirit

I wasn't near the quake, just heard it on the news. I have friends near the swarms in yellowstone and in California. I think they are crazy for living there! Yep, I'm a big chicken!

I am right there with ya! I am not a big fan of earthquakes or tornadoes...well of tidal waves either. lol I might be a bigger chicken than you!

[David Kennedy]

Thanks, Snorpus...that was the quake I was referring too...owe you points. I believe that was the 'year without a summer.

[Two-Rivers]

There was also a small quake in Pennsylvania, another in New Hampshire, and two in Alabama today.

[David Kennedy]

When the seismic plates move on one side, something (volcanic events or Tsumanis) happen on the other. I would watch for something to happen in Alaska, California or the Atlantic Ocean, where sometimes the Continental Shelf will let go and cause a 'Rogue Wave...Some of those get over 150' high.

What if this inner country activity is a precursor to the 'BIG ONE for San Andreas?

In Portland, I felt those tremors all the time..and every peak at every park is an extinct volcano with the potential to come back to life. When we lived there, some still gave out smoke once in a while.

Glad we are here...nothing like that will ever happen here. ( the one exception being the tiny fault line drawing parallel to the allelgheny foothills near Uniontown. We could see some venting along that mountain front as the magma reaches up to within a few thousand feet of the surface.) Being considered for geo-thermal use in the next 100 years.

[Sharedspirit]

I sure hope this isn't a precursor to a big one on the east coast or Alaska. We all know it's going to happen sooner or later. Later works for me!

[GottaHerdOn]

Wasn't Seneca Rocks formed as a result of something to do with an ancient fault line in that area? I'm pretty sure there is a small, dormant fault line over in the Pendelton, Grant, Hardy County areas.

[millersangel]

I felt it. It was a jolt and a framed photo on a table fell over. I went and yelled at the cat. :) Next day read this in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV - Small earthquake recorded in Mercer, Giles counties