Earthquake in Virginia 5.8-5.9

**boatman** · Aug-24-2011, 7:03am

I was at home ( a wood framed building) a mile or so from Hamlett Holler. I thought that John (AKA "Sunburst") was playing a joke on me; that he has climbed up on the roof of the house and was rolling boulders (big ones) down the roof. That is what it felt/sounded like. But then it just kept on and on, and I realized that even John couldn't be doing that. It was an event significant enough to give one the perspective necessary to have some understanding as to how terrifying it would be to experience a "real" earthquake. I wouldn't want to go through that.

**Stephen Perry** · Aug-24-2011, 7:31am

I've been in a number of earthquakes out west and here. I live in the heart of the southern Appalachian seismic zone.

I'm not sure I felt the quake over here in the Tennessee Valley. It was felt underground in Townsend in some caverns and showed up on their seismograph. I work in a very quiet environment. Trucks coming by on the road make a bunch of noise but don't make the building shake or vibrate. The building is built into the hillside, pretty close to bedrock. After lunch and a bit of working I felt something, walked out front to see whether the workers on the nearby bridge were doing something interesting, or equipment in the boat dock was moving or a big quiet truck going by. Nothing happening, rural Tennessee quiet, so I went back inside. That's not usual behavior for me. I suspect I felt just a little of that deep earthquake movement.

I'm pretty sensitive to it. First earthquake I was in knocked me over and blew plaster out of the walls. I got outside in time to see surface waves. Probably makes one sensitive to such things!!!!

Wish they'd give more warning so I could get everything quiet and really listen. But none are ever announced ahead of time.

**Brent Hutto** · Aug-24-2011, 7:38am

I had just left my office and was turning the corner out of the parking lot onto the main road. One of my CV joints is due to be replaced and right in the middle of my left turn I heard a kind of grinding noise and felt the steering wheel shake for a couple seconds. Figured it must be about ready to fall off. Turns out that was the exact moment of the earthquake and I think what I was hearing was from outside (had the windows down on the car and moving real slow). I'm in South Carolina about 360 miles out.

**Bob Clark** · Aug-24-2011, 7:49am

Hi Folks,

My wife and I were working in the winery (we own a farm winery in Salem County, southern NJ). The stainless steel tanks in which the wine ages started making pinging noises, then the floor (concrete) started moving back and forth and the tanks began to sway slightly on their stands. We went outside and saw the water in puddles on the lane sloshing back and forth, and the fenceline in the sheep pasture oscilating in a wave-like fashion. It must have gone on here for 30 seconds or so. Then it was over and all was quiet. They say that vibration is not good for aging wine. Maybe I should pull samples from some of the tanks today and check it out.

Probably wouldn't do much for my mandolin playing though (see, mandolin content)

Best wishes,

Bob

**jaycat** · Aug-24-2011, 9:23am

Originally Posted by Daithio

I had just come in from walking the dog and had turned on Natalie Merchant.

This is too easy of a straight line, so I'm just gonna pass.

**Jeff Oxley** · Aug-24-2011, 11:41am

Was canoe-camping on the Balcony Falls section of the James River (near Glasgow, VA) and head/felt it plain as day. Had a fishing pole leaning up against a table when the tip started to sway back and forth, felt a rumble and vibration that intensified dramatically. My buddy thought it might have been an approaching train, but seeing as the tracks were on the opposite side of the river (and the James, even upstream as far as we were, is still mighty big), and no trains anywhere for the rest of the day, well, I'd just experienced my first quake! Kinda scary, actually, as we were right underneath a big ol' walnut tree that was plum full of baseball-sized walnuts...didn't jar any loose, thankfully.

**Paul Kotapish** · Aug-24-2011, 12:58pm

My family is scattered around the epicenter of that Virginia quake, and it was a first-time experience for most of them. No injuries or damage, but reactions varied from amused interest to downright terror.

We've had three pretty good shakers our here in California since last night, too:

47 minutes ago 3.5 San Francisco Bay area
5 hours ago 4.2 Central California
11 hours ago 3.6 San Francisco Bay area

The one last night gave my house a pretty good thump with a loud rumble, but didn't rattle the china or set the shades swinging. I was driving during the recent one and missed it altogether.

Even out here in California most of us are a little underprepared for the worst-case scenario, but even slackers like me have bolted the bookcases and CD shelves to the walls, strapped the water heater, and generally guarded against heavy things falling small children, but this is always worth a look for a reminder about what a good scout should do:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/

Mandolin content: Always keep your mandolin in a closed hardshell case or on a well-anchored wall hanger or stable stand when not playing it. Setting it out on a shelf or narrow table top is just askin' for trouble in earthquake country--which is just about anywhere, apparently.

**Eddie Sheehy** · Aug-24-2011, 1:02pm

I'm sure I felt something... but we get so many...

**JEStanek** · Aug-24-2011, 1:15pm

Good link there, Paul!

I'm very glad to hear nobody was injured. I can certainly imagine the concern and terror some folks felt never having experienced one before. My gentle rocking was very minor to some of the experiences even up here in Philly-burbia where cieling tiles even came down in some places.

Jamie

**Spruce** · Aug-24-2011, 1:35pm

Originally Posted by Paul Kotapish

...but this is always worth a look for a reminder about what a good scout should do....

I was in a quake in Guatemala City that killed 30,000, and it's kinda marked me for life...

And it was "only" a 7.5'er...
Just a fraction of the one that hit Japan, or the one that's gonna hit here one of these days...

Makes you look at motels, your house, bridges, nice seaside towns with no immediate road access, instruments hanging on the wall, bookcases over the bed, etc. etc. in a much different light....

That being said, I'm hardly prepared...