Shakey shakey

[shapu]

So, uhm...the midwest has had two earthquakes this morning, centered 130 miles east of St. Louis and 240 miles south of chicago.

Side question: Why do the news organizations all label the quakes as being south of chicago? St. Louis is closer, and we ARE a major city still. Major enough, anyway (more on this later).

Well, technically one quake and an aftershock.

I live in St. Louis now, and there are always quiet whispers about The Big Quake of 1812, the New Madrid Earthquake that toppled chimneys in louisville and reversed the direction of the mississippi river, but I always just sorta figured I'd be long dead and buried before we had one here.

For the record, I'm not concerned or anything - these are all centered in Illinois, and anyone who knows missourians know how much we hate chicago and by extension everything in Illinois (males over the legal drinking age make a few exceptions for specific establishments) but, by and large, it's a totally new experience.

The first quake happened at 4:37 this morning Central time and while I was awake, I didn't notice - I was just seeing my wife out the door to go to work, I'd guess (like I said, I didn't notice the thing), but I guess that's one advantage to having a house built on deep bedrock. I went right back to sleep, and I don't know if my anxiety-attack cats really noticed.

But we just had a pretty solid aftershock, and my office shook like jell-o on a woofer for about 10 seconds.

I'm one of the mandarin oranges, for the record.

All in all...weird.

[MarchingDuck]

I dont think the shaking reached Rolla, but StL definately got some. The biggest quake was in Indiana, where my best friend lives. I'm super worried because shes not answering her phone.

[shapu]

There are no reports of injuries or major damage, so she's probably fine.

[Sapphire Faerie]

I'm a bit closer to the epicenter than you guys. The first one woke me up. I felt my bed shaking, and I was like "Whoa, that's an earthquake." and then after it stopped, I looked at the clock and then went right back to sleep XD

Know what my favourite area earthquake was? The one that didn't happen in 1990. Do you remember, Shapu? =P

[Rissa]

I don't have much to say on this, but Chass, I was really excited when I saw Paducah on the map they had on the news when they were showing the area the earthquake affected. I was like "CHASS LIVES THERE! CHASS LIVES THERE!"

[MarchingDuck]

I'm a bit closer to the epicenter than you guys. The first one woke me up. I felt my bed shaking, and I was like "Whoa, that's an earthquake." and then after it stopped, I looked at the clock and then went right back to sleep XD

Know what my favourite area earthquake was? The one that didn't happen in 1990. Do you remember, Shapu? =P

OMG I remember that. I was in the library in Kindergarten and all of a sudden the building was shaking and books shelves were falling over. Thats totally scary when you're like 5.

That was back when I lived in Barnhart.

[Sapphire Faerie]

I'm a bit closer to the epicenter than you guys. The first one woke me up. I felt my bed shaking, and I was like "Whoa, that's an earthquake." and then after it stopped, I looked at the clock and then went right back to sleep XD

Know what my favourite area earthquake was? The one that didn't happen in 1990. Do you remember, Shapu? =P

OMG I remember that. I was in the library in Kindergarten and all of a sudden the building was shaking and books shelves were falling over. Thats totally scary when you're like 5.

That was back when I lived in Barnhart.

No, that was the one that HAPPENED! I'm talking about the one that didn't!

(I'm sure I sound insane if you still have no idea what I'm talking about XD)

[shapu]

I lived in West Virginia at the time. You're insane (as far as I know)

[Ski]

I guess they say it's by Chicago because the epicenter was in Illinois, and to most Americans, Illinois = Chicago. Even as a Chicagoan myself, I thought it was odd that St. Louis and Indianapolis really got no mention. (I guess we're just that much better? )

Unfortunately, I was far too tired to realize that it was an earthquake. Normally I sleep through everything, but that morning, I woke up during the quake. Being so tired, my only thought was that I needed to get back to sleep, but I had an odd feeling of being unable to sleep. I just knew I couldn't. I felt a very odd sickness, too. It wasn't nausea, a headache, or really anything describable. Everything just felt wrong. But it was over by the time I got up, splashed some water over my face, and went back to bed, and I made the connection when I woke up around 6:00 or so and saw the news.

I'm just glad that nobody was hurt. All in all, it's sort of neat.

[smudgeoffudge]

Did we have any reported shaking last night/ really early this morning? I thought I felt a little bit last night but I was probably dreaming it. It was just barely noticable, but felt like a slight shaking in the bed and I thought I could detect a bit of a low rumble almost too low to be heard.

[Sapphire Faerie]

I lived in West Virginia at the time. You're insane (as far as I know)

=P We had a small quake in September or so, and then this guy called Iben Browning made a prediction that we'd have a BIG one right before Christmas. So everybody panicked and school was cancelled, and everyone bought flashlights and canned food and hunkered down, waiting for disaster... and then nothing at all happened.

[Asthaloth]

And now, because you expect nothing, my earthquake machine can complete it's vile task!
Bwahahahahaha.

And so forth.

And a 5.4? Pbbbt, WE had one that big the other month.

[shapu]

You're not in the middle of a very large continent, as far as possible from any faults.

Earthquakes in the midwestern US aren't something you usually think about, since there aren't any continental plates nearby other than the one we're on. It all has to do with a 70-million-year-old chunk of rock that refuses to die, apparently.

[Asthaloth]

You're not in the middle of a very large continent, as far as possible from any faults.

Earthquakes in the midwestern US aren't something you usually think about, since there aren't any continental plates nearby other than the one we're on. It all has to do with a 70-million-year-old chunk of rock that refuses to die, apparently.

*Looks at map*


Care to say that again?

[Ange]

Shapu, I think you are actually on a fault line of sorts. I'm probably wrong though, lol.

I live in New York, and we get earthquakes on occasion too. There are several places where the bedrock is quite unstable, as well as mini-faults.