Tuesday, August 23, 2011

East Coast Earthquake: Only A "Foreshock"? "The Worst is Yet To Come?"

Great, just great.  That's according to the USGS, by the way:


Minutes after the quake, the director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Marcia McNutt -- who watched objects falling from the shelves in her office -- cautioned that the shaking might not be over.

“What the concern is, of course, is that this is a foreshock. If it’s a foreshock, then the worse is yet to come.”


She said the energy from earthquakes on the East Coast does not attenuate as quickly as it does on the West Coast, and thus even a relatively modest tremor can shake a very broad.

“When something like this happen, everyone has to remember, more than half of the states in the U.S. are considered earthquake country. When something like this happens, remember what to do in the case of a seismic event. Duck, get under something sturdy like a desk or a doorway, get away from falling glass. Make sure that you are not in the way of falling objects like pictures, bookshelves, books, anything that’s not firmly connected the wall.”



.....From Mike Blanpied, associate coordinator for the USGS earthquakes hazards program:

“Aftershocks could go on for days, weeks, or even months. They’re most likely to be felt under the next 3 or 4 days.”

“The rocks are old and cold and they carry the seismic energy very far. Even a magnitude 6 or less earthquake can be felt over a considerably large area, unlike California where the shaking is more concentrated,” Blanpied said


Not my first trip to the rodeo, having lived in LA for a few years. Still, one fo the things I always liked about the East Coast was that natural disasters were usually limited to hurricanes, which can be predicted a few days out. Speaking of which, I was heading to Home Depot anyway to get some tape, bottled water, and boards. Maybe - in the light of the possibility of more "foreshocks" - I need to get a hardhat as well?

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