On 08/23/2011 02:48 PM, Owen DeLong wrote:
A 5.8 (or 5.9, I've seen conflicting numbers) really isn't likely to do all that much damage, even on the East Coast. In California, anyone who has lived here for more than 10 years probably doesn't even feel anything less than a 5, and, it takes a solid 6 to really get anyone's attention out here. Natives mostly won't change their behavior for anything short of a 6.5.
I would presume that on the East Coast where you have a lot more masonry construction you might see some minor building damage and a few cracked walls here and there, but it's unlikely to sever any underground utilities or take out any facilities.
I suspect the voice network is overwhelmed because it's probably a newsworthy event in that area, but that will probably die down in a few hours after everyone finally reaches their loved ones and hears that everyone is OK, but, boy wasn't that exciting…
Raw magnitude is not a great indicator of shaking intensity. Our rocks are much more fractured out here on the west coast due to earthquakes, etc. A 5.9 back east is nothing to sniff at. Mike, not a geologist
Owen
On Aug 23, 2011, at 12:10 PM, Chris wrote:
A friend about 80 miles near the epicenter says phones are down but Comcast Internet, by way of some miracle, is up