I want to experience an earthquake.

Discussion in 'Earth Science' started by alexb123, Oct 18, 2016.

  1. alexb123 The Amish web page is fast! Valued Senior Member

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    As I live in the UK this isn't possible. So I need another plan.

    I want to travel to an earthquake as soon as news breaks (within Europe). That way I should in theory at least get to experience the aftershocks.

    Naturally, its also important that I do not in anyway hinder rescue efforts.

    Any advice on doing this?

    Thanks
     
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  3. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Come to Socal. We get a few noticeable earthquakes a year here.
     
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  5. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    The UK has occasional earthquakes.
     
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  7. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    I went to Costa Rica on vacation and they had a 7.4 earthquake the next day. You could try that.

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  8. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    It would be easier to be struck by lightning.
     
  9. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    I have experienced an earthquake and believe me I would rather be elsewhere. Take a ride on a roller coaster. At least they are controlled.

    Don't disrespect nature. Millions of people have died from tectonic plate shifts. To give you an idea, just look at the power which creates devastating tsunamis from just your average tectonic shift a 1000 ft below the ocean surface hundreds of miles from the coast..
     
  10. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    No, but if you want to get electrocuted that's much easier...

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  11. zgmc Registered Senior Member

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    I felt one in Michigan last year. Never having experienced one before, and it being a complete surprise, made it really strange. I would not want to experience a big one.
     
  12. danshawen Valued Senior Member

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    No, you don't.
     
  13. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    I spent most of my life in southern California, so I have gone through my share of earthquakes. It's not an experience that I would recommend to anyone. It literally feels like the universe is falling apart. No matter how well you understand the phenomenon intellectually, your body is not prepared to experience it.
     
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  14. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    I've lived most of my life in California, northern (currently) and southern.

    In my experience, small earthquakes happen all the time (every day) and are almost imperceptible. They feel like a large truck drove by outside your building and the building shuddered.

    A moderate earthquake isn't all that exciting either. The building shakes and things rattle. Maybe a few things will fall off shelves. These earthquakes get the locals talking but mostly give tourists a distinctive local experience to talk about back home. They don't happen very frequently.

    Big earthquakes are something different. The shaking gets so intense that furniture starts falling over, tiles rain from the ceiling and people start to worry that their buildings will collapse. If building codes are adequate, that's unlikely to happen, but the interiors of buildings will be a mess with everything dumped on the floor. Sidewalks outside will be covered with broken window glass and stuff that falls off buildings like signs. (It's a good idea to stay inside during earthquakes.) People start shouting and dive under desks. Electricity may fail and there may be gas leaks. Roads and bridges may be impassable. Telephones won't work. Public transit is likely to stop (especially trains and subways) and commutes turn into nightmares. Radio and TV will mostly be off the air. Rumors will abound. Everyone will be worried about their families and friends. Calls will go out for all off-duty police, fire and medical people to report in. My experience was that there is very little crime after the earthquake (even criminals want to talk about how it felt to them) and there's a strange short-lived sense of public solidarity as people help each other and everyone is talking to strangers.

    The only big earthquake I've ever experienced close-up was the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Enough for me, but we're still expecting the 'big one'.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Loma_Prieta_earthquake
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2016
  15. alexb123 The Amish web page is fast! Valued Senior Member

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    Interesting thanks all. Do people know is there generally an exclusion zone setup? So people cannot enter the areas? Or is there still free movement, other than due to damaged roads being closed etc?
     
  16. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    And therein lies the crux, earthquakes are relatively benign if tectonic plates slide past each other in small increments, but a major subduction of one plate, lifting part of another plate is a different event. We need look only at mountains to see the results of major tectonic activity. Theoretically there are no safe zones on earth which are exempt from earthquakes.

    As to man-made "exclusion zones" (closed gates), one of the problems of major global events which would displace large numbers of living organisms, would probably result in a return to tribal systems, where each takes care of their *own*. Many countries are already refusing to accept an unlimited number of refugees.

    This is already a hotly debated problem today in the US, with refugees from man-made disasters, such as in the middle east.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2016
  17. danshawen Valued Senior Member

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    The actual sensation of a large Earthquake, depending on where you are when it occurs, is like standing on a table and having all four legs collapse beneath you simultaneously, or standing next to a solid wall and having your entire body physically picked up and thrown against it with multi-g force. You might survive it and just be injured, or it might kill you or bring a multi story structure down on your head without your wearing a helmet. Not a healthy thing to happen, in the best of circumstances. Being hit in the face by a mule hoof or the fist of a prizefighter would probably have a better outcome in most cases. At least those don't do as much collateral damage to things around you.
     
  18. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    There was no general exclusion zone in the Loma Prieta earthquake. That would have been difficult to do since the damage extended for some 80 miles/140km. Police and national guard did set up barricades to keep curious onlookers out of the more heavily damaged neighborhoods.

    As for how it feels, that depends on lots of variables, including how far away you are from the epicenter, subsurface geology where you are (soft soil can be subject to liquifaction and magnify shaking while buildings anchored to bedrock don't move as much) and what kind of structure you are in (tall buildings can sway and flex more). In the Bay Area, houses on hills, like my house, suffered minimal damage while flatland neighborhoods nearer to the bay were hit a lot harder. Damage was very spotty, bad in some places, hardly noticeable a short distance away. I believe that lots of complex geological stuff happens under the ground like earthquake waves being reflected and forming interference patterns. The similar sized Kobe Japan earthquake was devastating where waves added, but mild where they canceled.

    Where I was, the earthquake initially felt like the earth was jiggling back and forth about an inch or two amplitude at a frequency of about 5-10 cycles per second, then that dramatically changed to maybe as much as a 6 inch amplitude at about 2-5 cycles per second. (That's all just my subjective estimate.) I spoke to a geologist about that later and he suggested the latter might have been the resonant frequency of the building I was in and the bigger movements were the building's structure vibrating. (I was in a government office where I was employed at the time.) It wasn't until that second higher-amplitude stage that furniture started falling over, all my coworkers started shouting and all the acoustical tiles fell out of the ceiling. I never had any trouble keeping my feet though or standing up.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2016
  19. Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    If you want to experience an earthquake, the place to be right now is probably central Italy, in the Appennines east of Rome. They've been experiencing a whole series of earthquakes over the last few months. They have apparently just experienced yet another earthquake there, a fairly substantial magnitude 6.6 centered 6 km north of Norcia, near Perugia and Assisi (an area hit hard by earlier earthquakes). Earth shaking appears to have been very strong nearby (IX on the Mercalli scale, associated with 'heavy' damage), but much milder over a much larger area that includes most of Italy and even over the Adriatic to Croatia.

    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000731j#dyfi
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2016
  20. alexb123 The Amish web page is fast! Valued Senior Member

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    Again more interesting reading and yes Italy have had another one

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    I'm not prepared to go, so will have to miss this one.
     
  21. HaydenC Registered Member

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    Hi Alex, I am based in the south island of New Zealand. We have as you may know, had a lot of medium and large earthquakes. Most recently a 7.8 and constant aftershocks. Our geographical institute, GEONet say there is a 95% chance of a 6 - 6.9 magnitude quake in the next 30 days.
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    http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/q...ke: Future Scenarios and Aftershock Forecasts

    Scenario One: Extremely likely (>99% within the next 30 days)

    The most likely scenario is that aftershocks will continue to decrease in frequency (and in line with forecasts) over the next 30 days. Felt aftershocks (e.g. over M5) would occur from the M7.8 epicentre near Culverden, right up along the Kaikoura coastline to the Cape Palliser/Wellington area. This includes the potential for aftershocks of between 6.0 and 6.9 (95% within the next 30 days). Scenario one will continue to play out, even if either scenario two or three also occurs.
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    Now, I have found your post as I am looking into the idea of a business offering people like yourself the opportunity to experience a 6 - 6.9 quake. Obviously safety is a large issue and there will be risk involved as that cannot be completely mitigated as earthquakes are dangerous. Transport will be solely by helicopter again due to safety. There would be daily tours showing the incredible damage, giving the opportunity to give back and help rebuild or more relaxing options.

    Do you think, (if you did want to travel further than to Europe) this is some thing you would be interested in? What would you want to do see or discover?
     
  22. Xelasnave.1947 Valued Senior Member

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    There are various simulators out there I went on one at a museum in Canberra.
    Alex
     

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