Comments on: 13 Essential Talking Points for the Earthquake Enthusiast

By: J

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:18:36 +0000

@Mark

The spelling of Chinese names depends in large part on the transliteration method used and there are many. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but simmer down. Also, “DID WORKED”? Seriously?

By: Berbert

Berbert — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:14:32 +0000

I was sitting on the couch (in our central NJ home) when I starting feeling dizzy. Then the couch began to shake. But when I saw the fluorescent fixtures in our garage swaying back and forth is when I figured it was an earthquake.

My two cats were nowhere to be found!

By: Jme

Jme — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:51:08 +0000

@tkrausse….I work in downtown Harrisburg, and I wondered if someone was doing jumping jacks next to my desk! It certainly was strange!

And apparently (as told by my children), minutes before the earthquake, my yellow Lab stood up with all of his hair standing on end and began baying and then barking loudly and shaking…and then the earthquake started…very weird!

By: Tinkerschnitzel

Tinkerschnitzel — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:58:28 +0000

@Coberae It has quite a bit to do with the sediment and foundation that a building sits on, as well as what the building is made of, how tall it is, et al. Some, like sand, are more prone to movement. It also depends on the type of rock the waves move through. If you are in a mountainous region with lots of granite, you will probably feel it a bit less than if you were in a sandy field. I’m only an amateur, so if I’m wrong, I’ll allow the professionals to correct me.

By: Coberae

Coberae — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:58:02 +0000

After going through the horrifying experience of today’s earthquake (ha!), I did wonder what it would have registered as on the Richter scale by the time it got here (just north of Charlotte, NC). Also, why some people felt it more than others. In the town southeast of here (further away from the epicenter but not by much), it was felt a lot more. My dishes rattled and I checked to make sure the kids hadn’t loaded the dog into the washer (just kidding!!).

By: pac11

pac11 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:25:26 +0000

“hanging out” in the buff? Puh-leez. :-)

By: tkrausse

tkrausse — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:54:23 +0000

I have a tic where my leg shakes. At home, my family often has to point it out to get me to stop, because I end up shaking the whole room. So I’m at work, and my desk starts shaking. I think a second, and make sure my leg stops shaking. The room doesn’t stop.

Harrisburg, PA FYI

By: TeaPot562

TeaPot562 — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:39:32 +0000

The last recorded earthquake on the southern segment of the San Andreas fault was in 1857; on the northern segment, 1906 in San Francisco.
Seismologists tell us the southern section is overdue for another. Want to bet that the Northern segment gets their shake on the San Andreas before the segment E. of Los Angeles?
TeaPot562

By: Trent

Trent — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:06:57 +0000

Sat through the earthquake about four hours ago in Raleigh NC… very wierd feeling…

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:06:06 +0000

The device made by Cheng Heng – which actually should be written in Zhang Heng – DID WORKED. There was a experiment done by a replica of this device in 1939, and it really worked fine.

Read more about this on Joseph Needham’s fantastic book about Chinese traditional science, “Science and Civilization in China: Volume 3, Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth.”