Wow!

We have just experienced an earthquake here in Central Vermont not 5 minutes ago! It only lasted a short time and was fairly mild, but we just don't get them around here.

It was a very strange experience!

Mark

was it a big one ?

Not really, but I guess since I don't yet know where the epicenter is, it is hard to say. It just rattled things and nothing broke. It did last longer than the last one which was more than 10 years ago.

Mark

I doubt it actually was an earthquake, it's more likely to have been a pocket of gas underneath the earth's surface that has somehow been hit or tampered with. Sometimes, when large drills are bored into the ground they hit a 'bubble' of trapped air and this causes the ground to shake.

I could be wrong of course, but that happens here from time to time, and the small tremors we get here are similar to what you described, Mark.

[ 04-20-2002, 07:14 AM: Message edited by: Arledrian ]

i bet you're glad you don't live in california ?

i bet you're glad you don't live in california ?</font>[/QUOTE]You got that right jonny.

BTW, the latest local news has verified that it was a moderate earthquake (whatever that means). There are not any richter scale numbers yet and no point of origin, either.

Mark

A couple of years ago there was an earthquake in Slovenia, just when I was in the elevator. The elevator was still going down just that it was shaking... Was really scary... Nothing bad happened though. [img]smile.gif[/img]

It was located in Plattsburg New York and was 5.1 on the Richter Scale. That's pretty moderate. I'm about 1 hour and 445 minutes from where I am.

Mark

We don't get them often in England, but I remember we had a small one in the South East about 12 years ago! And one in the South West last year or the year before I think.

[ 04-20-2002, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: Epona ]

Hi Mark - glad to hear your OK - they can be pretty damn scary things can't they. I was in Rome 5 years ago on the 7th floor of a hotel. It was about 3am in the morning and by my reckoning the building had a good half a metre sway going in either direction. Strangely enough, only about 15 of us ran out of the rooms - most everyone slept right on through it. In that instace, the epicentre was up in Assisi.

Well welcome to the club. They happen every where. The largest in the US was in the southeast in the early 1800's.

I am glad you are OK too Mark!
Even in the 5 point range they can be scary!!!
I was in one in Hawaii...5.3...on the 7th floor of Tripler Army Medical Center, which was, at that time, the maternity ward!
Floors waving, walls rippling...I was awestruck until it was all over and I realized how high off the ground I was...then I nearly wet my pants LOL!
I am so glad you are OK!
*HUGS*

[ 04-20-2002, 11:42 AM: Message edited by: Moni ]

<font color=Orange>I wonder if a huge one will ever hit Vancouver. My great Aunt and Uncle live there and I hope THERE WILL NEVER BE ONE!!!</font>

You know, I woke up early this morning to find the house shaking and things rattling (nothing breaking, though). I thought it was just a dream, but I guess not.

Weird.

we get Earthquakes in Cuba too. They mostly come as the aftershocks from other nearby carribean islands and other underwater eruptions. Cuba, from what i've seen of it, has little if no evidence supporting that it may, in fact, be Volcanic. Most of the surface is desert, formed from Coral. Our beaches are of WHITE sand too. Which also supports coral. Our hills are mostly white, and so are large sections surrounding water. HOWEVER at some beaches there are bits of black sand mixed with white... it is quite odd... and also: On the main road, driving up to David's house from mine, near the post office, there is a large BLACK rock that just JETS OUT in a sea of white and brown. And it is SO black that it is a volcanic-type black. This single standing rock, along with some odd evidence given by our mudd makes me wonder if, infact, Cuba was a gigantic coral bed that had been lifted UP by volcanic eruptions, and if that is the case... then... eruptions COULD end up happening around here... some day... any day... @_@ then again, the rock could just happen to be a really impacted mound of dirt that had caught fire... somehow... The hills are constantly aflame with burning sugar caine... I'm not sure though... hmm maybe some day, when Geologists can examine cuba, we can understand how the island came to be more...

That also reminds me, that there is a small part of cuba that has these odd cave drawings. They are made up of spirals and circles, there also are numerical tables and tablets written into the walls along with some primitive cave drawings. What is frightening is that there seems to be evidence supporting the concept of ZERO and the Spirals themselves seem to show NO ACTUAL PURPOSE 0.o go figure... it's not too odd though for us to have a little tremor and every now and then. Its more of just a loud BUMP then a rattling. I still have all of my gundam's feet glued down...

That's fascinating! It seems that spirals and circles are very common in ancient art - certainly the ancient Celts were crazy about the things, and spirals, circles, mazes and 'cup and ball' markings are common on standing stones here. I don't think it supports the idea of a concept of zero though (thought to have originated in India c. 6000 BC - although it is certainly a possiblity that the idea had reached ancient Britain but Cuba might be pushing it LOL! - one heck of a journey!) - it is more likely that a circle represented a totality, spirals are endless, so could represent the endless cycle of the seasons -that sort of thing is more feasible. Unfortunately I guess we'll never know for sure - maybe they just look pretty!

And as far as the drawings having no purpose - well much of what we call 'art' today doesn't seem to have much purpose on the face of it, but often carries a message, and there is plenty of art produced for no reason other than aesthetics.

[ 04-22-2002, 04:36 AM: Message edited by: Epona ]

not too likely, although possible.

as far as i can see southcuba forms the northermost boundary of the caribbian plate wich moves east. thus, this boundary is rather a transform fault and the occurenca of earthquakes and volcanism is higly likely. there should be a major earthquake every 100-150 yrs, i think. cuba being a coral bed, lifted by eruptions is in my opinion absolutely impossible. although i can imagine that lots of coral debris formed your beaches. the black rock you spoke about can however be some kind of bomb remaining from an ancient eruption. BTW. Cuba is geologically queite well examined, if u are really interested in that questions you can just look it up.

lol on average there is one a day in NZ.

mostly small ones though (phew!) you can only feel them if you are still, and it is near.

There have been quite a few big ones though in the past. Thankfully none recently.