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Earthquake Centered in Virginia

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xxsoftballxx13x

Posts: 494

Posted: 02:09PM Aug 23, 2011

For those of you who didn't know, an earthquake hit about an hour ago in Virginia with shocks reaching up to New Jersey and near South Carolina.

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snowmonster

Posts: 19556

Posted: 02:42PM Aug 23, 2011

They reached Ohio as well. We felt and heard to too.

Take all sorrow out of life and you take away all richness, and depth, and tenderness. The capacity of sorrow belongs to our grandeur. It is the furnace that melts hearts together in love. In loving memory of my dear friend Guy - take care Goobs . .

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Candyhook

Posts: 122

Posted: 03:55PM Aug 23, 2011

We got it too. I didn't feel it because my mom and I were in the car.

I am still wondering why they make flavored shampoo. I've tasted them all and they make my mouth all bubbly.

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spud

Posts: 1135

Posted: 03:30AM Sep 22, 2011

Sorry but how big was it?

This stuff is a little OFF topic sorry!!!

I live in New Zealand were something BIG happened on Feb 22nd,

6.3 earthquake!!!

It ws sooo horrible.
Then the people up in Auckland started to whine about a 2.9 and then when it snowed they decided to start saying that it was a "miracle they got snow" and down here we had 30cm of it!!!
Well it is unusual that Auckland gets snow so it kind of was a miracle!!!

---This message was edited on 11:35PM Sep 27, 2011---

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beetle22

Posts: 1327

Posted: 11:37AM Sep 25, 2011

But I guess it's all a matter of personal experience, right? I mean - if it snowed lightly for a day in my city, that'd be a big deal because we have never had snow. Meanwhile, someone living in Alaska would probably find my problems and complaints a bit silly.

Or we have 40 degree celcius months here in summer; not a big deal. But if that happened in Alaska there'd be serious problems.

All I'm saying is that just because you have experienced a situation that was terrible (I'm not undermining the Christchurch earthquakes!), don't assume others aren't suffering when they deal with a similar situation on a different scale.

To me, it is just as tragic if 1 person dies as the result of an event than if 100 people die.

I just hope no one was hurt in this case and the damage wasn't extensive.

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spud

Posts: 1135

Posted: 10:06PM Oct 14, 2011

Snow how big was it?

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RGW4

Posts: 1082

Posted: 02:06AM Oct 15, 2011

The earthquake in Virigina measured 5.9.

That's not an earthquake to mock... it gives quite a punch.

I live in Southern California... and have gone through several "good" earthquakes... the last one being the Northridge earthquake of 1994. The official measurement of that earthquake is 6.7. It has been stated that it had the punch of a 8.4. I can tell you that it really gave us an eye opener at 4:30 in the morning. I was home, I live 35 miles from Northridge... and at the time, I actually worked in Northridge. I drove to work that morning in what I will easily, honestly, and forever remember as a somber moment... I came over the hill about half way there, entering the San Fernando Valley... and all I could see was darkness and several small fires. All power in SF Valley was out. I worked about 2 miles from the epicenter... and we felt the aftershocks all day. By the end of the day, I was actually oblivious to the shocks.

It's been some 17 years now... no real earthquakes to talk about in our area... and THAT has me concerned.

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein-

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Post from spud deleted on 12:45AM Oct 16, 2011.

beetle22

Posts: 1327

Posted: 12:38AM Oct 16, 2011

I've got to say Spud, as I already alluded to (and as you have ignored) I find it really innappropriate that you want to compare these earthquakes... It's almost as if you're trying to day 'I've experienced worse so HA'. I really dobt care about that. This situation isn't a good one!

It's kind of like - how would you feel if a family member died in the Bali bombings and you came here to share your experience and someone said 'i live in new york where something BIG happened', and then started one-upping you on their experience of 9/11??

Both experiences are just as horrible - why do you feel the need to compare???

Then coming back and saying that a 5.9 in Virginia 'seems like a good one' just proves your insensitivity! How is that a 'good one'? How can you sit there and say something like that? When you yourself have had the experience and know how terrifying it is, how much of a big deal this is.

Honestly, I'm biting my tongue here - I'm so furious with you! Especially as you got upset in the Christchurch Earthquake topics when someone did the same thing! ('don't do it again', I think were your words after that person apologized).

Grow up and show some respect!

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Steve1973

Posts: 700

Posted: 05:32PM Oct 16, 2011

beetle22 wrote:

No need to blow up, Beetle. I live in Virginia, and not too far from where the Earthquake happened at, and I can tell you from hands-on experience, this 5.9 here in Virginia "seemed like a good one" to me too. I was lying in bed when it hit, and the only effect I felt was my mattress shaking like one of those vibrating beds you put quarters into at a motel. No cups fell, nothing broke, no damage occurred, and no one was hurt. I don't think this is a case of comparing a family member who died in a single bombing to comparing 911 -- it'd be much more like comparing a kid kicking you in the shin to either of those things. A minor inconvenience, something to remark upon, but nothing to worry about or be concerned over at all.

The quake in Christchurch did massive amounts of damage. The one here in Virginia wasn't even hard enough to wake my mother up from her afternoon nap. If someone lived through and experienced all the damage that went off at Christchurch, then I think they heave every right to point out how silly all the fuss was over the Virginia quake. As far as I know, not a single building, bridge, or structure actually fell during the quake here. A few places did form cracks, but only minor damage. No one was killed or seriously injured from the quake, and damage in general was a minimum. All in all, if someone had to experience a quake, I'd say this one was a "good quake" to be subjected to.

Virginia's quake was a non-event. Christchurch was a major event. To fuss at someone who points out the differences in the two seems a little rude to me personally. Personally I can't see where Spud said anything wrong (of course, there is a deleted post by Spud where I may have missed something important), so I really don't see where he needs to grow up and show respect.

Hard to respect someone who makes a fuss over being bit by an ant, when you've had an arm taken off by a crocodile. Trust me: I live here, I was awake, and I experienced the whole Virginia quake -- the experience lasted 45 seconds or so, vibrated the mattress on the bed (which I was laying on watching TV) with less intensity than a 4 year old jumping up and down, and then was over. It was a complete non-event which people only talked about due to its rarity; like seeing an albino deer.

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spud

Posts: 1135

Posted: 10:17PM Oct 16, 2011

Why thank you steve for getting my point and I don't believe that you have missed anything important because of my deleted post, I still feel very sorry for you having to experience an earthquake that big, as I know how nasty the big ones feel.
So next time beetle bite your tongue until you have the facts and how people use there words.

Because when people say that an earthquake is a good one, we mean a decent one.

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RGW4

Posts: 1082

Posted: 12:09AM Oct 17, 2011

Everyone is entitled to their opinions... but everyone needs to be polite in expressing it, especially here on Braingle, and I would ask all to refrain from belittling anyone. I say this as Mod RGW4

The fact remains that if a person hardly ever experiences an earthquake... a 3.5 earthquake can be a decent one to them, yet alone a 5.9 ...even if someone else who lived through it might not agree.

Other factors also come into play... the way buildings have been constructed, how deep was the actual center of the earthquake, what type of earthquake was it, and also how long did the quake do it's magic. And of course, the individual themselves and how they react to the situation.

Some earthquakes do a rolling motion, others jolt the surface. You can not always compare earthquakes by the value given it.

I mentioned working in Northridge during the big quake of 94'... I was walking through our building with my boss (who was 10 years my junior) when a 5.0 aftershock hit. I was still walking along talking to him, when I realized he was no where around me. I turned and found him standing next to a metal column. I asked him what was he expecting the building to do, collapse? He said yes. I said, it could, but if it does, where we are would be pretty much smashed and would be grounded into the dirt if it did because of all of the material above us.

His thoughts were his and I respected what he felt... but by the time of this after shock, I felt I had seen the worst that this earthquake was going to give us. Now, I was proved right in this situation, but I could easily have been wrong and it could be that one more after shock that could have brought the building down. Two people in the same place, experiencing the same earthquake had different outlooks on what was going on, could this not also be the case in Virginia?

I speak as someone who has experienced an 8.0, and has lived through more earthquakes than I can recall in my 55+ years, living almost all of them in the Earthquake region of Southern California.

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein-

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beetle22

Posts: 1327

Posted: 11:23AM Oct 17, 2011

Spud - I will NOT bite my tongue if I believe, as I do in this case, that someone is being disrespectful.

I am so sick of the one-up game people play on this site. The 'my tragedy was bigger than yours'. All I'm saying is that it shouldn't matter how big or small an Earthquake is - it still affects people in different ways.

As I pointed out in my initial post - if it snowed where I live (a city that is on the edge of the desert) it would be a huge deal, irrespective of how deep the drift is. The same amount of snow in a place like Alaska wouldnt cause as much damage. But that doesn't mean my experience is worse than the Alaska experience - there'd be little point in me jumping up and down about my experience everytime someone mentioned snow.

Steve - I just wanted to point out to Spud that he was very offended when, in the Christchurch Earthquake topic, someone questioned the severity from the opinion of one of their past experiences, Spud got upset and I quote asked the person 'don't do it again'. All I was saying is I thought it was hypocritical to want a certain behavior in one topic and then do the opposite in another.

As I said in my original post, irrespective of the severity of a situation, I think one upmanship is entirely inappropriate and I stand by my original post and reiterate that that is what I think Spud intended. Why else would he delete his first post now?!

The Christchurch Earthquake was a terrible tragedy and I myself donated to the Red Cross Appeal for it. I'm not in any shape or form dismissing that event. I figure though that if Spud truly were interested in discussing his experience (instead of doing this 'mine is bigger than yours' dance) then he would gave posted in the topic (which, may I add, he himself created) about the Christchurch Earthquake.

Spud - perhaps the next time you post you may want to remember that when reading on the Internet it is fair near impossible to garner ones tone and inflection, and therefore it is highly reasonable for people to read things in varying ways, especially when what you post can have multiple meanings. If you're going to get upset if people misunderstand your intentions, then perhaps you should bite your own tongue and not post in the first place.

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spud

Posts: 1135

Posted: 03:25AM Oct 18, 2011

Look have you not read steve's post?
It should sort things out a bit and I DO feel very sorry for them as I know how those big ones feel.
At the moment beetle you are acting like you know everything and have stopped this topic from being a great one, now it is just you arguing against me, just trying to get your point across, which you have and no I am not doing a "mine is bigger than yours dance" I am just saying that I feel for them because I have been through the sameish experience.
So beetle can we now stop this arguing and get back to what this topic is suppose to be about, if you would like to keep on arguing please feel free to PM me with what else you would like to say to me.

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RGW4

Posts: 1082

Posted: 09:21AM Oct 18, 2011

I will unlock this topic now. As long as everyone stays centered on what this topic is about, no further actions will be required. Softball opened it to talk about the earthquake in VIrginia, and though several have talked about other earthquakes, myself included, let's keep this topic about the Virginia Earthquake and what has happened since it has occurred. I feel some deviations from the actual earthquake in Virginia are acceptable for use as pointers, but let us keep the line of comments more centered on the Virgina earthquake as much as possible. I will consider this as a general warning to all. Thank you. Mod RGW4

---This message was edited on 02:31AM Oct 21, 2011---

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein-

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spud

Posts: 1135

Posted: 01:31AM Dec 24, 2011

Ok guys lets get back to talking about the Virginia earthquake.

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