Washington earthquake

[Zoraptor]

1) you did use richter to make guesstimates 'bout strength o' quake (selective quote aside)

 

"5.9 is a pretty decent size, especially when it's so shallow. The February quake in Christchurch was only 6.3 but had around 3 times the ground acceleration (~ practical effect; barring tsunami of course) of the far larger magnitude Sendai one in Japan[sic; later corrected without prompting to Chile] because it was closer and shallower. "

 

..each of the bolded parts is a factor apart from Richter that influences effects, found both in the selective part and the rest. I selected the quote I did because it was 100% unequivocal in stating that Richter was not the only factor, and that there were separate measures for practical effects. You were the one fixated on Richter strengths and using it as a sole measure.

 

You're being- at best- disingenuous in trying to say anything different. Still you got another response which I guess was the intent.

 

2) you made false correlation 'tween deaths and quake severity

No, I actually did exactly the opposite and implied that there is not necessarily any direct correlation between deaths and 'severity' and, in a rather small logical step, that it is to a very large extent circumstance (sciencey things like... depth, location and ground acceleration; but also whether the bits of church that break off hit people as in Lorca or miss them as in Washington) that determines 'severity'.

 

3) you suggested expertise in natural sciences which you has yet to back up

It seems I should have put it bluntly. Something like "You should refrain from commenting further as continuing to argue over something about which you are ignorant will make you look both foolish and, given your treatment of those arguing with you in similar circumstances, hypocritical".

 

See, I have no need to prove expertise only your ignorance, and that has already been done. That was the point of the Scalia comment, I don't know or care if you're really a lawyer or not as it is irrelevant and the level of authority granted by any professional qualification is wholly unneeded. The only relevant points are that (1) you were right in that case but demonstrably wrong in this and (2) my expertise in this exceeded yours by the required margin when I was aged ten.

[Gromnir]

1) you did use richter to make guesstimates 'bout strength o' quake (selective quote aside)

 

"5.9 is a pretty decent size, especially when it's so shallow. The February quake in Christchurch was only 6.3 but had around 3 times the ground acceleration (~ practical effect; barring tsunami of course) of the far larger magnitude Sendai one in Japan[sic; later corrected without prompting to Chile] because it was closer and shallower. "

 

..each of the bolded parts is a factor apart from Richter that influences effects, found both in the selective part and the rest. I selected the quote I did because it was 100% unequivocal in stating that Richter was not the only factor, and that there were separate measures for practical effects. You were the one fixated on Richter strengths and using it as a sole measure.

 

You're being- at best- disingenuous in trying to say anything different. Still you got another response which I guess was the intent.

 

2) you made false correlation 'tween deaths and quake severity

No, I actually did exactly the opposite and implied that there is not necessarily any direct correlation between deaths and 'severity' and, in a rather small logical step, that it is to a very large extent circumstance (sciencey things like... depth, location and ground acceleration; but also whether the bits of church that break off hit people as in Lorca or miss them as in Washington) that determines 'severity'.

 

3) you suggested expertise in natural sciences which you has yet to back up

It seems I should have put it bluntly. Something like "You should refrain from commenting further as continuing to argue over something about which you are ignorant will make you look both foolish and, given your treatment of those arguing with you in similar circumstances, hypocritical".

 

See, I have no need to prove expertise only your ignorance, and that has already been done. That was the point of the Scalia comment, I don't know or care if you're really a lawyer or not as it is irrelevant and the level of authority granted by any professional qualification is wholly unneeded. The only relevant points are that (1) you were right in that case but demonstrably wrong in this and (2) my expertise in this exceeded yours by the required margin when I was aged ten.

 

your first rebut is actual noteworthy. keeping in mind that you didn't provide any such relevant mercalli factors info for the east coast quake related to shallowness and ground acceleration, but mere mentioned richer. so, we can assume you were just hypothesizing. even so, while maybe your guessing game were not particular relevant, it weren't wrong neither. though again, in ca even the shallow 5.8 range quakes appear to be largely ignored based on the limited info available online. of course you still fail to recognize that our initial comment that you took offense at were your compare of 5.8 to a quake that were "only 6.3." maybe you know 10 year old geology, but you clear don't grasp 10 year old physics and math. sure, there are other facturs involved in earthquake severity, but you clear don't understand the enormity o' the difference in force 'tween 5.8 and 6.3.

 

second point is a fail however, or maybe you were being serious instead o' sardonic.

 

"That quake killed nine. Rather a lot of poorly secured Elvises in Spain, it appears.

 

"I'll make a deal with you, I won't try and correct you on matters of US law, you don't try and correct me on matters of science natural."

 

if you were actual agreeing with us 'bout elvis stuff then we retract our observations, but as you quickly followed with the suggestion that you gots superior knowledge o' the incredible broad fields o' natural sciences than Gromnir (*chuckle*). nevertheless, the statements become somewhat contradictory when tied together. agree with Gromnir then deride? hmmm.

 

third point appears like simple bantam. takes considerable arrogance to claim superior knowledge o' natural sciences based 'pon the thread contents above.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Maria Caliban]

Image of devastation caused by Russian earthquake superweapon:

 

 

 

OMG you guys did you feel it? There was a 5.8 earthquake in Virginia, which we felt as an earth-shaking 2.2 here in New York. WHERE WERE YOU? I was walking to the copy machine, it was pretty crazy. Apparently all of DC is evacuating their office buildings. Folks in my office have been told not to leave the building in case of aftershocks (which I imagine could be as high as 1.5). **** is getting REAL.

 

East Coast you are so cute.

 

So I grew up in Seattle, which isn't the most earthquake-prone zone in the world, but gets quakes every few years (usually pretty small ones). But Seattle is on a fault line, and there's a city-wide understanding that some day, probably soon, we are all going to be obliterated by The Big One. We learn about it (and are duly terrified about it) in school. We have 'earthquake drills' the same way that Americans used to have atomic bomb drills = get under your desk, hang onto the leg with one hand, protect your head with the other (alternate earthquake life-saving advice: Stand in a doorway). At the beginning of the year, we would all have to assemble 'emergency kits' in case of a big quake - granola bars, a blanket, a flashlight, etc etc. My mom would also include pictures of our family and a hand-written letter in which she told me how much she loved me, and that she would probably be stuck at the hospital (she was a nurse) but that she or my dad were on their way, and that I should listen to my teachers and stay safe and try to find my sister and that everything was going to be ok and that she loved us very much.

 

She would cry at the kitchen table writing that letter anew every year, and would cry again when school let out and she had to re-read it while we ate the emergency-kit granola bars.

 

If there's ever a real earthquake in New York, at least we know Twitter will be on it, since #earthquake is the #1 trending topic right now and everyone is sharing their stories of survival against all odds. And I'm sure that various fundamentalist groups will come out any minute to blame this quake on the abortionists, the lesbians and the feminists, so I apologize on behalf of all of us for interrupting your day with a slight tremor. I know, we really had it coming. I suspect this is actually God's response to the tragic news that Will and Jada are getting divorced - the timing is just a little too close to be a coincidence, you know? - but what do I know, God works in mysterious ways. (Although to be real for a second, if a big earthquake actually does hit? We're all going to die.)

 

But guys, let's not make this about ourselves. A 2.2 quake is EXTREMELY SERIOUS, and I hear your bed even shook a little bit? But really, it's Virginia that has it the worst. They actually felt the ground shake for, like, ten seconds. Which is basically like being in Japan for the tsunami. VIRGINIA I HOPE YOU ARE ALL OK AND SURVIVING AN EVENT IN WHICH NOTHING WAS DAMAGED AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU DURING THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TIME.

 

Today, we are all Virginians.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Maria Caliban

[Walsingham]

We had a tremor in the UK and that was mental. I'm not saying it was a genuinely serious quake. But if you've never been in any sort of quake at all and the GROUND bounces like a happy foal then it's like a boot to the cognitive pile of leaves. Everything realigns.

[Maria Caliban]

[Gorth]

 

It might not have been the worlds most impressive earthquake, but it can be quite an experience the first time you literally feel the earth move.

 

On a semi related note, how the heck can a small storm rack up a death toll like that? I mean, it's not like people weren't warned that Irene was heading that way

[Walsingham]

 

It might not have been the worlds most impressive earthquake, but it can be quite an experience the first time you literally feel the earth move.

 

On a semi related note, how the heck can a small storm rack up a death toll like that? I mean, it's not like people weren't warned that Irene was heading that way

 

Some of it is probably down to bits of stuff flying through the air at a bongzillion miles an hour.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Some of it is probably down to bits of stuff flying through the air at a bongzillion miles an hour.

Exactly!

[Enoch]

 

It might not have been the worlds most impressive earthquake, but it can be quite an experience the first time you literally feel the earth move.

 

On a semi related note, how the heck can a small storm rack up a death toll like that? I mean, it's not like people weren't warned that Irene was heading that way

 

Some of it is probably down to bits of stuff flying through the air at a bongzillion miles an hour.

Irene rated low on the core-windspeed-based "category" system, but in terms of area covered, it was an absolutely enormous storm (like, twice the diameter of many hurricanes), it corresponded with the highest peak tides of the month, and it hit some heavily populated areas that don't see hurricanes often.

[Gorth]

Irene rated low on the core-windspeed-based "category" system, but in terms of area covered, it was an absolutely enormous storm (like, twice the diameter of many hurricanes), it corresponded with the highest peak tides of the month, and it hit some heavily populated areas that don't see hurricanes often.

Probably the bold faced part... When Yasi hit Queensland here in February (iirc), it was the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane, but much bigger (a bit smaller than the US and northern Mexico) and only lost strength after having travelled halfway through Australia. Only recorded death was one for the Darwin awards (a young man running a generator in a small enclosed space, died from monoxide poisoning). People more or less went underground, only a few stupid tv journalists making very brief appearances to take some shots before running full tilt for their concrete shelters. Banana prices are still sky high.

[Walsingham]

Some of it is probably down to bits of stuff flying through the air at a bongzillion miles an hour.

Exactly!

 

Cool site. Very clear and easy to read.

[Walsingham]

Only recorded death was one for the Darwin awards (a young man running a generator in a small enclosed space, died from monoxide poisoning).

 

Shame, man. Easy mistake to make. Poor bastard.

[Gorth]

Only recorded death was one for the Darwin awards (a young man running a generator in a small enclosed space, died from monoxide poisoning).

 

Shame, man. Easy mistake to make. Poor bastard.

Poor bastard indeed. Like the people killed by Irene, it just feels "unnecessary", as in it doesn't need to happen

[Malcador]

List of deaths due to Irene

[Calax]

List of deaths due to Irene

But how much property damage.

[Maria Caliban]

People more or less went underground, only a few stupid tv journalists making very brief appearances to take some shots before running full tilt for their concrete shelters. Banana prices are still sky high.

There's also flooding, so going underground probably isn't as useful.