Is everyone all right? *worried*

[Rath Darkblade]

I'm not sure how many Aussies are here ... but we had a bit of a shake-up this morning.

‘The walls were moving’: Melbourne earthquake felt across south-east Australia

Early this morning we'd had an earthquake, the strongest one I'd ever felt. I think it may be the strongest one we’ve had in Victoria.

The SES (Victoria State Emergency Service) said it measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. At my flat, the windows, roof and front door were shaking. Everything inside was fine, though, and hopefully everything outside is fine too.


A building a few suburbs down wasn't so fortunate, though (the article has a picture or two about what's happened), and I heard that in other parts of my city, some people don't have power.

The earthquake was apparently so strong that people on Tasmania could feel it, as could people all the way to the New South Wales Central Coast -- nearly to the border with Queensland!)

Anyway, I'm sure it'll be on the news. But I'm fine, as are my family, coworkers and friends.

One funny thing did happen as a result of all this. My little sister was driving when the earthquake hit, and her little boy (my cousin) was in the child-seat. She thought it was her car, and started to wonder if it needed servicing.

Then her little boy piped up, "Maybe it's an earthquake!" But she said no, can't be. From the mouths of babes.

Anyway, I digress. (I do that ... sorry). *blush* I hope everyone is all right!

[Tawmis]

Ironically we had a few shake ups in San Diego as well (though they main EQ was centered in Nevada, I believe).

But yes, hope all is well with everyone.

[Rath Darkblade]

Wow. Were they severe? Do many earthquakes happen in California? How severe are they, usually? Sorry, just curious.

Australia gets about 300 earthquakes a year, though most of them are mild (about 4 on the Richter scale or less). In my part of Australia, we hadn't had a severe (above 5.0) since 2012. The most severe (measuring 6.2) was back in 1946. This one measured almost 6.0. So, no wonder I was worried: earthquakes this strong are rare here.

To give you an idea of how widespread it was ... I live in southeastern Victoria, and this was felt all the way north through NSW to Queensland; all the way south to Tasmania; and all the way west, to South Australia.

To put it in the American context (I'm only approximating here, according to what I can see on the map)... if it happened in San Diego (not far from the border with Baja California, I see on google maps), then it would be felt in Baja California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington State, at least. Possibly some folks in Utah, Wyoming and Montana would feel it, too.

[Tawmis]

Wow. Were they severe? Do many earthquakes happen in California? How severe are they, usually? Sorry, just curious.

Earthquakes happen all the time.

Per google:

Each year the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Most of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15-20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.

The ones worth mentioning happen a few times a year.

[Rath Darkblade]

Ah, OK. As you said, California gets "strong" earthquakes a few times a year. For us in Melbourne, something this severe only happens once in roughly 10 years.

Thanks, Tawm!

[notbobsmith]

Like Tawmis said, the San Andreas fault line is very active. In the US there's always discussion of California experiencing "The Big One" which will cause California to "fall into the ocean". This is an exaggeration of course, but it is part of our national consciousness. It ended up being the plot to the first Superman movie. A James Bond movie (A View To a Kill) uses the fault as a plot to destroy Silicon Valley.

[Rath Darkblade]

LOL! Just the words "the San Andreas fault" reminds me of how the Animaniacs treated it. Good night, everybody!

(And, as a musical bonus, it's based on "The Happy Farmer" (op. 68, number 10) by Robert Schumann - which everybody in the Netherlands knows. Just ask BBP)

Thanks, NBH -- I forgot about the San Andreas fault line. *blush* Thank you.

[BBP]

Hij komt, hij komt, die lieve goede Sint...

Hahaha there I was thinking you spelled "San Andreas Vault" (like groin vault etc

Glad to hear you're OK Rath!

[Rath Darkblade]

Thank you, BBP! Strong earthquakes (above about 5.5) are so rare here that it confused me more than anything. I guess I was just very lucky -- I heard there was structural damage elsewhere in our city. Thank goodness no-one was killed or injured.