yet another earthquake hits Maine

[NorthernSpy]

It's as though the whole state has suddenly decided to break off North America and leave.

:scared:

Last night's quake was the third in less than two weeks. Like the other two, the epicenter was near Mount Desert Island, but this one was felt from Lincoln and Medway in the north to York in the south, and from Calais in extreme eastern Maine to Fryeburg in the west on the New Hampshire border: nearly all of Maine's population is in the zone where people reported feeling the quake!

The earthquake caused rockfalls onto the roads of Acadia National Park, and broke some water pipes. I guess we'll see what else it did, now that it's light enough to go look.

The USGS still has this event listed as a 3.4 on the Richter scale, but news reports are now saying that it was a 4.2.

Where I am, it wasn't severe enough to be truly scary, but it was pretty exciting. Kind of hard to describe -- I've never experienced anything like it. Unusual for this region of the country to have this much seismic activity in such a short time period.


http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/ne/STORE/Xtib1_06/ciim_display.html
Just look how widespread it was!


http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/10/02/quake_causes_falling_rocks_in_arcadia_national_park_park_road_closed/



(edit: for clarity)

[Radio_Lady]

1. I have a friend in Harpswell, Maine. Would he have felt it?

Wow! We lived in Boston for 30 years and they kept telling us about the Cape Ann fault -- but never felt it ourselves.

Now we're in "earthquake country" in Portland, Oregon -- just a stone's throw from Mt. St. Helens -- where they expect a 9.0 earthquake -- just a question of WHEN...

And you're having earthquakes in New England? What's up with that?

Thanks for the links.

[WilliamPitt]

2. We have lots of earthquakes in New England, actually

http://www.nesec.org/hazards/Earthquakes.cfm



This is a map of the New England region showing states, counties and many cities and towns (red symbols) throughout the region. The green-shaded areas are based on an analysis of the earthquake activity of magnitude 2.7 or greater from 1975 to 1988. Acco rding to our analysis of the statistics of earthquakes that occurred between 1989 and 1998, there is a "66%" chance that the next earthquake of magnitude 2.7 or greater in New England will occur in one of the green areas.

[Radio_Lady]

3. Hi Will... I've seen this before, and I do recall reading about a tremor

or two, but never in the magnitude to actually feel it in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

You are in Boston... have you ever been through one yourself?

We never bought homeowners earthquake insurance in Massachusetts, but feel we need it in Oregon.

My only experience was in 1959, while in college in Los Angeles, and I was visiting my aunt. There was a mild quake then. I visited her much more recently in San Rafael, California in 1998, and -- guess what? Another small quake!

My response was, "Aunt Marian, you make the earth move for me! Please don't tell my husband.... he'll be jealous!"

Keep up the good work at TrUtHoUt.... I read it quite often!

In peace,

Radio_Lady
--
I'm a retired Miami and Boston radio call-in show host -- a media pioneer -- now wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother and still volunteering at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Another Grandmother for Peace! Learn more about my web radio show in the right column of my journal.

[WilliamPitt]

5. I've felt a couple

but missed one of the bigger ones because I was on the T.

Got back to the house, and there was a crack in the brick stairs heading to the front door that hadn't been there when I left in the morning.

[Radio_Lady]

12. Wow! Do you remember what year that was?

I'm in touch with a self-published author named Sam Penny who wrote a semi-fictional book on the New Madrid fault.

He says that the midwest is overdue for an earthquake.

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=20298&id=13976

I guess there are faults everywhere, but especially in Washington...

OT: Are you going to the October 5th event in Boston?

[WilliamPitt]

14. It was in the early 90s, I think

Where is the Boston event?

[Radio_Lady]

15. {{{looking through the archives}}} sorry... it was about three days ago...

Oh, it was only discussed on Monday and this is Tuesday...

Time flies when you're getting ready to go to a 50th High School Reunion -- we're flying to Florida on Friday, Oct. 6th.

Have a great demonstration! I'll be watching from the corner of an eye....

Another Grandmother for Peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[WilliamPitt]

16. The Oct. 5th event was three days ago?

That's odd.

There's this:

Boston, MA
2006-10-05
12 noon
Boston Common Bandstand
We will assemble at the Common at noon, as high school and college walk-outs join in from around the area and people of all walks of life interrupt their routines to make a powerful statement: the Bush regime does not represent us and we will not stop until it is driven from power! Imagine one of the most critically-thinking, youthful and vibrant cities in this country coming alive all day and into the night with feet pounding pavement, signs and fists jutting skyward, and chants of: "JOIN US! JOIN US! THE WORLD CAN'T WAIT! DRIIIIIIVE OUT THE BUSH REGIME!" peircing the air, unigorable.

At 1pm, a march (route not yet determined) is being planned that will make noise, spread the word and draw people in as it goes, before returning to the Common in time for a 5pm rally.

The rally starting at 5 will enable people getting off work to attend.

The Common closes at dusk, so at that point we will be leaving and heading to streetcorners in busy parts of the city, to hold up signs, pass out flyers and be a powerful presence all throughout the night, before returning to the Common during the morning rush hour.

Please see: http://cantwaitboston.blogspot.com/ See you there !!!!!!

call [phone]
[email protected]

...I'll be there.

[Radio_Lady]

17. Good! You've got it... it was discussed in this thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2281905

[NorthernSpy]

7. interestingly, the epicenter of the past weeks' quakes...

... is actually outside the green probability zones.

Mother Earth never ceases to surprise and amaze!

[NorthernSpy]

6. Harpswell is within the region that felt the quake...

Now we're in "earthquake country" in Portland, Oregon -- just a stone's throw from Mt. St. Helens -- where they expect a 9.0 earthquake -- just a question of WHEN...

Not to mention Mt Hood -- another live volcano that may be stirring in its sleep...

The Pacific Northwest is incredibly beautiful, although geologically treacherous.

[peacefreak]

4. It's all part of our plan

to secede from the (dis)Union.

[NorthernSpy]

8. heh heh...

The soon-to-be island nation of Maine...

:D

[vickitulsa]

9. Question --

The local article you linked to didn't offer any information about whether or not the recent flurry of quakes might be indicative of an increase in number or strength of quakes in your area.

Do you know if this recent activity is part of such an increase or not?

I'm asking because I like to track geological events, quakes, volcanos and the like, to see if there are trends.

I have spent a lot of time at the USGS site, and will check further there again, but wanted to ask you this since you brought it up. :)

I also live in an area that has a lot of small quakes, though I've never felt one. Tulsa isn't far from the infamous New Madrid Fault -- the one that had a couple of 8+ Richter Scale tremblors around the turn of the 19th century that would have killed millions if the population here then hadn't been so sparse then. The geological evidence they've found is profound, however, and quite scary, including "sand geysers" that apparently are fairly rare even in traditional quake areas.

In recent years the scientists in the field working this area have been saying we're definitely DUE for another spate of quakes, possibly of equal or greater size. There have even been special programs on the History Channel and Discovery Channel about it.

This isn't something that's a matter of "alarmist" focus. The cities which are most vulnerable to major damage and death from the New Madrid Fault coming awake in a big way have been taking the threat very seriously and have already done a LOT of preparation for the eventuality -- and need to do much more. Memphis and Nashville, I know are involved, and several other major cities, mostly from southern MO eastward, which is the direction the most serious shaking is expected to take, just like with the circa 1800 big quakes.

Those were two, about three months apart, and they were felt by citizens living as far east as the coast of North Carolina!

[Radio_Lady]

13. Hi vickitulsa! See my post #12 about Sam Penny, author of Memphis 7.9...

who has a good handle on the New Madrid fault. He was a guest on my web radio program in 2004.

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[vickitulsa]

18. I'm glad to see others know about this one.

The New Madrid Faultline is a real "whopper" and likely to do all manner of widespread damage if it "blows" again.

I'm lucky in that I live to the west of it, and the shock waves from the two circa 1800 quakes headed eastward due to the rock formations in the earth and all that. I still expect we'd feel it and know it had happened even before we tuned in to see the news networks running 24/7 live reports of the devastation....

Sorta gives a person the shivers, to think about it.

But it helps me relate to my California friends, and those in the Pacific Northwest!

When I first learned there was such a major faultline so close by, and that it was KNOWN to have caused true "big ones" in the past, I started paying attention and learning more about it, some years ago. Helps to at least be "aware and alert," I figure.

[Radio_Lady]

19. The radio station where I volunteer once a week is between two faults!

Definitely not a place I want to be in an earthquake.

One day, while recording my program, several ceiling tiles gave way and fell on the console where my microphone was located. I got hit in the head, but not hurt.

My initial reaction was, "It's the big one... I'm done-for!"

But it was just an old ceiling that decided to give way...

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon (Hubby and I are headed for my 50th High School Reunion this month in Florida... we're flying out this weekend...still gotta pack...)

[vickitulsa]

20. HAVE FUN! (I know you will)

I had to laugh when I read that -- "50th reunion" ... if I were to show up at my class's 50th reunion, they'd all fall over in a faint to see that I had managed to live that long!

:rofl:


And of course I haven't lived that long YET, but I have high hopes since I've made it to 57 now.

I think if they had voted for such a category in high school, I would have won the "most likely to burn out, die in an extreme sports accident, or get shot by police" award! :D

[Radio_Lady]

21. Thanks, Vicki... and you make it to 1,000 before I get back, right?

1,000 posts ---> You're at 900 and something now?

Good luck!

Nice to talk with you at the DU!

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[mainegreen]

10. I cant tell the difference between a quake and the trucks rumbling by. nt

[Radio_Lady]

22. LOL. You must live close to the road...

We have the buffer of just one row of houses before a major roadway Rt. 110 here in Oregon.

I'm really glad we're not any closer. I probably couldn't sleep except with earplugs or my MP3 stuck in my ears.

Need some kind of WHITE NOISE...to guard against THESE!

[fudge stripe cookays]

11. I heard about one or two recently in South Carolina.

Tiny ones. How far down does that fault extend?

Kind of freaky...Maine! Who'd a thunk it! Just stay out of the way of falling boulders and you should be OK!

:hi:
fsc

[Radio_Lady]

23. Hello, FSC! How you doin' -- still in Texas?

[fudge stripe cookays]

24. Yup.

But hoping that will change within the next year!

Keeping a lid on it this time. I'm afraid to get too excited lest it fall through once again. But we ARE fixing the house up, so there's a clue.