Earthquakes in the east coast are far different than earthquakes in the west coast. Here such a quake might not be felt from one end of the bay to the other. There they can be felt for 500 miles. Yes, the New Madrid quake fault is a ticking time bomb. Not only will it be felt far and wide, but the building codes aren't made for earthquakes as they are here in the west. There were reports of rivers running backwards and such
A Guy
I'm not sure about rivers, but I know that one river ran backwards...the Mississippi. I wasn't aware of it til a bit earlier, when I googled an article about the comet that I mentioned:
1811-12 New Madrid Earthquakes, A NEO Connection?
Apparently, some believe that quake was set off by the comet striking the Earth in an Arkansas swamp, possibly at the location of an erstwhile lake call Saint Francis Lake, or possibly just a fragment of the comet. If that were true, it would mean that the New Madrid faults were not directly responsible for the quake, and possibly that the faults were at least partially created by the impact of the meteorite.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, it seems that novel that I spoke of also mentioned the Ohio River running backwards too, so that would make "river" a plural.
The only earthquake that I ever felt was back in the 90s, immediately after arriving in California. I was parked on the road between LAX and the water late one night, and I was outside of my trailer working on something. I suddenly had a pronounced pang of fear, as though someone was coming at me from the rear, although I physically sensed nothing. When I wheeled around, it felt as though the devil had passed below my feet heading toward the water. When I turned again, I saw the streetlight rocking back and forth, and I knew what had happened. I was surprised to learn that the epicenter of the quake was where it felt as though it was traveling to, rather than from, because it was in the water off Malibu. I'm glad it was only a small quake (5.0) or something like that, because it was more than enough for me. I have always lived in Tornado Alley, and I will take a tornado over an earthquake any day.
Last edited by seekermeister; 24 Aug 2011 at 18:06.
I understand that, but considering the fact that I have never seen a tornado, despite living decades in an area known for them, it is easy to not be overly concerned about them. I wonder how many Californians that have spent an equal amount of time in that state can say the same? The idea of being buried alive in the rubble is not something that I would care for at all.
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