California Humbuggery

[Guest]

 

[snooper]

... Manhatten was already overdue for a 7.0+ quake back in 1989.

What is this based on? I'm curious, not disagreeing.

 

[Guest]

 

[Colleen Thomas]

A newspaper article that ran in SF just after the quake made mention of being able to look at strata and other natural records to ascertain when and how often strong quakes had struck an area. Apparently the NYC area gets a 7.0 quake every 300 years or so. The Dutch, in New Amsterdam, recorded a strong quake in the 1600's.

The article might have been wrong, or my recollection wrong, but ALL places on the planet receive strong quakes at one time or another. California, Japan etc. are noted for quakes because of their frequency.

The strongest quake every in the US in the last three hundred years was in Missouri in the 1800's. The Mississippi ran backwards for three days.

That was the New Madrid Quake. Quakes occur along fault lines that is places where tectonic forces meet. The San Andreas in California is located between two very large plates that are both moving actively. New Madrid is located on the meting point of two relatively stable plates. They are however plates and they are moving, just significantly slower. If a quake similar to New Madrid were to occur now it could make even the Iran Quake look minor in terms of lost life. memphis, Nashville, Little rock, Evanston are all in the area most likely affected and as Pierce pointed out none of these cities were built with the thought of earthquakes in mind.

-Colly

 

[Svenskaflicka]

The closest thing to an earthquake that I have ever experienced, was when my ex-boyfriend had an allergic reaction to my cat.

 

[greene14]

in box

Svenska

empty your inbox, it's full and I can't get a message in!

PLEEEEEEEESE!

 

[Icingsugar]

The 6.5 quake that struck California recently caused two deaths and received the mostly blase indifference of Californians.

Today, a 6.2 quake struck Iran and caused 20,000 deaths apparently. I know Iran is not one of the US's favorite countries, but my heart goes out to the victims,their families and the many rendered homeless.

Really? I missed both of those totally.

Need to read the damn paper now and then....

 

[Svenskaflicka]

It will probably be more, when they dig out all the people that are currently buried alive under wood, concrete and earth.

*off to clear Inbox*

 

[dr_mabeuse]

The other day, don't ask me why, I remembered to read the ingredients list on the wrapper of my absolute favourite candy caramels, Snow Flakes.

Apparently, one of the main components of this delicacy, whose exquisite taste is as addictive as is untraceable, is a little known substance called titanium dioxide (TiO2), chiefly employed in the production of hydrometallurgical pigments, i.e. the industrial paint they use in the hull of open sea vessels.

Now, are you going to ask if knowing this is going to stop me from indulging my need for sugary heaven? Fuck no! In fact, the new code-word for them around here is 'a shot of titanium'

Titanium oxide is extremely inert. biologically. You can just about eat your weight in TiO2 with no ill effects. It's simply not absorbed.

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v46aje19.htm

---dr.M.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Titanium oxide is extremely inert. biologically. You can just about eat your weight in TiO2 with no ill effects. It's simply not absorbed.

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v46aje19.htm

---dr.M.

Maybe you wouldn't be poisoned but wouldn't you rupture your digestive organs trying to pass through such a large mass?

 

[MagicFingers]

I'm glad you are OK, Perdita!

I live over 200 miles away from it, so I didn't feel it or thought it was something else.
Yes, we ARE pretty blase about earthquakes here. We can't stop them and can't predict them, and can't do a whole lot when they hit, so why worry?

I feel about one a year, most are small ones nearby, some are bigger, but far away, no no need to worry about either one.
I HAVE felt several big ones and am fortunate to have been away from them. Yes, they can be scarry, but...

I still believe tornados, hurricanes, fires, floods, ice, wind and snow are much more dangerous on a daily basis, in about that order. Tornadoes are the WORST natural disaster.
You always get warnings from huricanes, snow, rain, etc.
I have experienced all of them more than once, so I don't worry about earthquakes. I'm somewhat prepared and that's all we can do.

And Shereads, that sig line about plate tectonics is/was hillarious!
I'm glad we didn't wait for them to stop or we wouldn't all be here discussing these things now!

 

[ffreak]

Dear Perdita, I am sorry for being so late. I did not think you would feel an earthquake all the way down in Paso Robles. Makes me think it was stronger than they've said. I hope the shakes (and aftershocks, including governor picture opportunity) are done and you remain well.

I've been through the Sylmar quake and the Whittier quake. They're no fun. Neither are fires or mudslides (what's wrong with those parents, letting their children go camping in an area where fire had burned off the vegetation? What did they think held the hill together?).

About the titanium balls (sounds worse than blue balls), I think they make lovely decorations - never knew I was supposed to eat them. At this rate someone in California should sue the stores to keep irons off the shelves. After all, people could get burnt by them when plugged in and turned on. Since this can cause irreparable mental anguish, scarring people for life, how can they sell such maniacal devices of self-torture? They should be illegal! Let's stop the selling of such a harmful product. The price of pain suffered by one person should not be balanced against the hundreds of jobs held by people building, packaging, shipping, and selling these disreputable devices. Stop the flow of this menacing traffic at the source. Don't let other countries import ways to harm our children. Get an injunction, serve it on someone, set traps to find those who would buy an iron anyway. Put them all away.

Oh, and here's another question. Have the companies that make the cute little silver decorations counter sued? Don't they have the balls to take this to court?



-FF (native Californian now dealing with humidity, snow, hurricanes, tornadoes and other nasty, sticky stuff in N. Carolina - oh yeah and an earthquake earlier this month, just 4.2 though, almost didn't notice it, all because it's green year round - and without silver ball injunctions.)

 

[Mhari]

As the thread has now turned to earthquakes in other parts of the world...

We just had a 4.5 quake in Central Virginia a few weeks ago. And a 3.9 one in May. I know we're in a fairly active seismic zone, but it's still kinda freaky to have two earthquakes in one year. The 4.5 one went on for about 30 seconds, too, which was really weird.

As for the New Madrid fault, aren't they way overdue for the Next Big One? I seem to remember reading something about that, but my memory is fuzzy. Same with Charleston, South Carolina.

~Mhari, slowly catching up with the boards and her email

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Perdita,

So what's shaking?

Natural disaster-wise, I'm a hurricane man. I've found that knocking off seven or eight of them at Pat O'Brien's down in the French Quarter is a damn civilized way to endure all that noisy wind, driving rain, and rising flood waters.

But seriously, I'm glad you were in San Francisco, USA and not Bam, what got whammed, over in Iran.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Ffreak and Rumple. I told someone recently that I feel like a big babynow over my fright given the awful disaster in Iran. I recall the big Mexico City quake and its devastation too, and have to feel pretty lucky to be in a city with tough building codes.

Perdita

 

[snooper]

Maybe you wouldn't be poisoned but wouldn't you rupture your digestive organs trying to pass through such a large mass?

No, you can't eat fast enough; but that gives me an idea for the perfect product for racists. it would turn your faeces white!

 

[shereads]

Avalanches?

Mudslides?

 

[Guest]

slingin' mud