View Full Version : Minor earthquake shakes Lancaster County, Pa
Some hikers may not be aware minor earthquakes occur occasionally near the A.T. A magnitude 3.4 quake was recorded last night near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Some of my family here in Berks County noticed it, others slept through it and, me, I was awake at the time, likely sitting where I am now, and didn't even realize it occurred.
For more information, click on York Daily Record (http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/local/ci_11319847) to read a short article which provides what details were available when it went to press. Additional information can be found at the USGS link at the end of the article or for a page I read and recommend visit 2008 December 27 05:04:34 UTC Earthquake Summary (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/ld1023196.php#summary).
We had a 3.0 in 1976 in RI when I was living in Barrington. I heard a distant rumble which I thought was a jet taking off from Warwick, where I live now, which was across Narragansett bay. The noise didn't stop, however, just kept getting louder and louder. I knew something wasn't quite right, stepping out the back door to get a better listen. As I did, I noticed that the dishes were rattling in the cupboard.
We just had a 2.0 quake in Conn. as well. I didn't notice it, and don't freak out, but,
WE'RE DOOMED!!!!!!!! :D.
Lone Wolf
12-27-2008, 22:01
Some hikers may not be aware minor earthquakes occur occasionally near the A.T. A magnitude 3.4 quake was recorded last night near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Some of my family here in Berks County noticed it, others slept through it and, me, I was awake at the time, likely sitting where I am now, and didn't even realize it occurred.
For more information, click on York Daily Record (http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/local/ci_11319847) to read a short article which provides what details were available when it went to press. Additional information can be found at the USGS link at the end of the article or for a page I read and recommend visit 2008 December 27 05:04:34 UTC Earthquake Summary (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/ld1023196.php#summary).
whoopee doo! :banana
Some hikers may not be aware minor earthquakes occur occasionally near the A.T. A magnitude 3.4 quake was recorded last night near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Some of my family here in Berks County noticed it, others slept through it and, me, I was awake at the time, likely sitting where I am now, and didn't even realize it occurred.
For more information, click on York Daily Record (http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/local/ci_11319847) to read a short article which provides what details were available when it went to press. Additional information can be found at the USGS link at the end of the article or for a page I read and recommend visit 2008 December 27 05:04:34 UTC Earthquake Summary (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/ld1023196.php#summary).
There have been a few small earthquakes in NJ associated with the Ramapo Fault over the past few years. I haven't noticed them.
October 17, 1989 was the first day of our vacation in California. We had just checked into our hotel in Carmel when the "Big One" struck. My first, only, and hopefully last earthquake. My daughter was seven at the time but still remembers running for her mom and falling into a bush. She doesn't seem to remember that it was a long time before she slept thuough the night without having bad dreams.
Tennessee Viking
12-28-2008, 00:37
Now if I was on the PCT or coastal California, then I would worry. The Appalachian Fault is still pretty active, but rarely moves to produce noticeable quake.
Earthquakes on the A.T. aren't something to be concerned about, but rather something to realize you might experience.
I remember the 4.0 followed by the 4.6 in '94. It's epicenter was only a few miles from where I post. Those got my attention and probably would have been noticed by someone on the A.T. less than 20 miles away.
Ramble~On
12-28-2008, 04:14
Hot Springs had a 3.8 in 2005. Living in California and Japan earthquakes were pretty common and the little ones weren't news worthy. On Christmas there were more than 50 earthquakes in the US of 1.0 and greater. The West Coast sees plenty of them daily.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/quakes_all.php
So far today there have been 26 earthquakes recorded as of me writing this. Likely several more since you started reading this. Alaska has likely had a couple 3.0-4.0 or higher so far today.
This thread isn't about earthquakes generally or other regions of the world, but rather earthquakes on the A.T. which might be felt on occasion. As to the newsworthiness of this particular event, it's been acknowledged already it's a minor story as are most things on the A.T. in the larger scheme of things.
This topic was placed in a A.T. forum because it's a legitimate A.T. topic. Posts from predictable sources may give the appearance at least to some of objecting to this thread. It would be a shame were some to object to A.T. enthusiasts learning something.:(
Hot Springs had a 3.8 in 2005.
Thank you for your contribution. Anyone know of others that could have been felt by someone on the A.T.?
On Christmas there were more than 50 earthquakes in the US of 1.0 and greater.
Maybe someone could explain logarithmic scales for those who don't know what they are or could use a refresher.
I don't know how many earthquakes in the eastern US exceed 3.0 anually or might be noticed by someone on the A.T. I suspect it's not as common an event on the A.T. as some may believe.
Thank you for your contribution. Anyone know of others that could have been felt by someone standing on the A.T.?
On the first night of my 2003 thru, April 29, there was a earthquake centered on the Georgia/Alabam border. Me, Flying Bear and Wild Child were asleep on the summit after a night of revelry and did not feel a thing. The Springer Mt. Shelter register told another story, tho. It was filled with "it felt like an earthquake" entries from the NOBOs just starting out. It wasn't until we tuned into Atlanta radio that morning that we realized it was an actual earthquake. Turned out it was a fairly big one for the area. Nothing compared to CA, of course, but enough to scare the bejeesus out of a few newbies.
Here's the Wiki account
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Alabama_earthquake
shelterbuilder
12-28-2008, 22:45
Earthquakes on the A.T. are not something to be concerned about, but rather something to realize you might experience.
I remember the 4.6 followed by the 4.2 some years ago which had it's epicenter a few miles from where I post. Those got my attention and probably would have been noticed by someone on the A.T. less than 20 miles away.
I remember those quakes - we were (again) in southern tier NY state when those quakes hit, and I remember two things about them: even at that distance from the epicenter, we felt them, and the shaking felt like a train going through the center of town; in retrospect, my dogs seemed to know that they were coming, since they were uneasy for a day or so before the quakes hit.
Yellowstone NP has experienced about 18 miniquakes in the past 24 hours. The strongest measured 3.8 on the Richter scale
Shelterbuilder cites what may be one of the best reasons I've heard thus far for hiking with a dog. Still, I'm not sure what one would do with such information on the A.T.
The first shock he mentioned measured 4.0 and was quite the attention-getter at ground zero. The 4.6 second temblor made me wonder what else might follow. It wasn't long before we learned, but by then a 2.9 wasn't as impressive as it might have been earlier.
They were thought to have been related events originating from a shallow hypocenter which may be why sb felt them in New York. It was an unusual occurrance, involving one of the strongest quakes recorded in Pennsylvania.
shelterbuilder
12-28-2008, 23:15
While both SOG and myself live very close to the epicenter of those older quakes, these events are NOT something that eastern Pennsylvanians are accustomed to feeling. Thankfully, they were not strong enough to cause any real damage.
Animals and earthquakes: they seem to be able to sense something amiss prior to a seismic event, and they do become agitated. I didn't know what I was seeing in my dogs that year (before the quake), but that fearful agitation (with no tangible cause) might have alerted someone more knowledgable than myself to the impending event.:-?
Maybe someone could explain logarithmic scales for those who don't know what they are or could use a refresher.
Click on Richter magnitude scale (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/topics/richter.php) to learn about the underlined topic or for other information related to earthquakes.
Blissful
12-29-2008, 21:06
I'll never forget a quake close to us in VA a few years back - it was the first time I heard and felt the earth groan - with a roar like a dump truck. The wildest thing.
johnnybgood
12-30-2008, 23:02
I'll never forget a quake close to us in VA a few years back - it was the first time I heard and felt the earth groan - with a roar like a dump truck. The wildest thing.
Yes Blissful I too remember that quake which registered a magnitude 4.5 and its epicenter was near Columbia,in Powhatan County. As you described it sounded like a dump truck . Our dishes rattled in the cupboards for about 5 sec.