Have you seen those VW commericials where two friends are driving in a VW, carrying on rather everyday conversations and then unexpectedly they get wacked by another car from the side? Well, we kinda feel a bit like that tonight. (Nope, not a car accident...thank goodness...)
Phil and I were talking and playing with the dogs when the house shook quite violently in two brief shakes and shudders. They were quick, but long enough for me to jump up like a Jack-in-the-Box and do a jig in the middle of the floor. I couldn't quite figure where to go. Phil smiled at me and said with a wry grin, 'Yep, we're havin' an earthquake.' Then as quickly as it started, it was over.
It is strange, for those brief moments you realize how incredibly powerful mother nature is and how powerless we are. You don't know how long the shaking will continue or how violent it may get. And then of course, you wonder, is another temblor far behind?
Fortuneately for us, tonight it was a small temblor...a 3.7 according to the USGS website.
The interesting fact for us is that we were sitting practically on top of the epicenter.
Below is the data just posted from the USGS website.
Version #1:
This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message.
This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
A minor earthquake occurred at 7:12:28 PM (PST) on Wednesday, December 20, 2006.
The magnitude 3.6 event occurred 4 km (2 miles) ESE of Berkeley, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).
Magnitude
3.6 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 7:12:28 PM (PST)Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 3:12:28 (UTC)
Distance from
Berkeley, CA - 4 km (2 miles) ESE (112 degrees)Piedmont, CA - 4 km (3 miles) N (354 degrees)Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) ENE (59 degrees)Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) SE (124 degrees)San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (59 degrees)
Coordinates
37 deg. 51.6 min. N (37.860N), 122 deg. 14.2 min. W (122.237W)
Depth
9 km (5.6 miles)
Location Quality
Excellent
Ironically I was in a store the other day, looking at American Red Cross emergency kits and backpacks. I was thinking it is high time that we purchase some emergency kits for the house and the vehicles. Things like first aid supplies, food, water, flashlight, radio etc. I think it is suggested that we have a 3-7 day supply of water - 1 gallon of water per day, per person for emergencies. I certainly don't want to be melodramatic about our little shaker tonight, but it was enough to remind me that we do have to plan for bigger rock n roll events that might lie ahead in the future.
Phil and I were talking and playing with the dogs when the house shook quite violently in two brief shakes and shudders. They were quick, but long enough for me to jump up like a Jack-in-the-Box and do a jig in the middle of the floor. I couldn't quite figure where to go. Phil smiled at me and said with a wry grin, 'Yep, we're havin' an earthquake.' Then as quickly as it started, it was over.
It is strange, for those brief moments you realize how incredibly powerful mother nature is and how powerless we are. You don't know how long the shaking will continue or how violent it may get. And then of course, you wonder, is another temblor far behind?
Fortuneately for us, tonight it was a small temblor...a 3.7 according to the USGS website.
The interesting fact for us is that we were sitting practically on top of the epicenter.
Below is the data just posted from the USGS website.
Version #1:
This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message.
This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
A minor earthquake occurred at 7:12:28 PM (PST) on Wednesday, December 20, 2006.
The magnitude 3.6 event occurred 4 km (2 miles) ESE of Berkeley, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).
Magnitude
3.6 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 7:12:28 PM (PST)Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 3:12:28 (UTC)
Distance from
Berkeley, CA - 4 km (2 miles) ESE (112 degrees)Piedmont, CA - 4 km (3 miles) N (354 degrees)Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) ENE (59 degrees)Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) SE (124 degrees)San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (59 degrees)
Coordinates
37 deg. 51.6 min. N (37.860N), 122 deg. 14.2 min. W (122.237W)
Depth
9 km (5.6 miles)
Location Quality
Excellent
Ironically I was in a store the other day, looking at American Red Cross emergency kits and backpacks. I was thinking it is high time that we purchase some emergency kits for the house and the vehicles. Things like first aid supplies, food, water, flashlight, radio etc. I think it is suggested that we have a 3-7 day supply of water - 1 gallon of water per day, per person for emergencies. I certainly don't want to be melodramatic about our little shaker tonight, but it was enough to remind me that we do have to plan for bigger rock n roll events that might lie ahead in the future.
