Earthquake

[Anonymous]

A little factoid about the Richter Scale, the rough measure of the strength of an earthquake. It's in log base 10 scale. What that means is that if we had a 3.7 earthquake, a 4.7 earthquake is 10 x the strength, and a 5.7 quake is 100x, a 6.7 quake is 1000 times the strength of what we felt. The 1989 SF quake was a 6.9.

[Anonymous]

I thought there was a helicopter landing on our front lawn since it was so loud and and everything and the bed was shaking.

...in Fairfax, so I imagine that those at the epicenter in Germantown felt even more.

[Anonymous]

The epicenter was actually right here where I live in Gaithersburg (I-270 and 124 region).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A little factoid about the Richter Scale, the rough measure of the strength of an earthquake. It's in log base 10 scale. What that means is that if we had a 3.7 earthquake, a 4.7 earthquake is 10 x the strength, and a 5.7 quake is 100x, a 6.7 quake is 1000 times the strength of what we felt. The 1989 SF quake was a 6.9.

Right, this one was a LOT (well, 10x) stronger than the strongest previously-recorded earthquake for this area-- a 2.7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Felt it and thought "strange, we don't have earthquakes here" and rolled over and went back to sleep!

Same here-thought it was the loud neighbors who live above but remember thinking they usually don't make the bed shake. Rolled over and went back to sleep-I'm pretty serious about my ZZZ's.

Oh wow, what a disapppointment because I thought, at long last, my husband actually made the earth shake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Vienna.

Up and getting ready to get into the shower. Heard/felt it as well and thought "what is that" coupled with "that's odd". Figured I'd try to figure out what it was (trucks, low flying heli or plane) after the shower... but by then it was gone.

DH and kids slept right through.

I live in Vienna and didn't feel anything but there's a good chance I slept right through it-I don't feel or hear anything when I'm fast asleep. I was shocked when I heard it on the news. Anyway, when I was driving to work this morning around 6:50, Follin Lane close to the intersection of Maple Ave was closed off, I wonder whether it had anything to do with the earthquake.

[Anonymous]

Well, I am a California native and have been through many earthquakes, including the 1989 SF quake and the one in Northridge (Southern Cal) in 1994. Both near the 7.0 magnitude, and both absolutely terrifying. This one was small, and I guess kind of weird/cool because it occurred on the East Coast, but honestly it was just a scary reminder (for me) of what we survived in CA.

[Anonymous]

DH and I woke up as it was happening. At first I thought it was the sound of an explosion nearby, then when more fully awake figured earthquake. We had experience with them from living in LA. Still checked all around the house just to be sure all was well. Our 2 year old slept right through it, but I was awake for about an hour afterward. Adrenaline.