[basil_hayden]

OK, what's DARPA up to?

Keith McClary?

[peeker01]

AGW

[careinke]

It's the Tea Party's fault. They stopped up government and the S#IT had to go somewhere.

[dinopello]

In an abundance of caution, our building owner has closed all it's buildings in the area, so I got to go home! They got on a bullhorn outside the building as people were milling around and said people could enter the building to retrieve whatever they needed "at their own risk". I was wondering if we ever enter the building not at our own risk ?

I've slept through a few tremors but this was my first quake in a 9 story building. Teeny tiny by world standards I'm sure but scary enough for me.

There was also the largest earthquake in Colorado in > 100 years yesterday. We were hypothesizing this could be a prelude to the big North American plate shift.

Sky news report

[ColossalContrarian]

We had a 5.3 in Southern Colorado at about midnight last night. I'm sure it's all coincidence but just maybe the gods tempers are thinning and this is just a warning?

[basil_hayden]

Good to hear you're alright, Dino. I'm leaning towards your idea Contrarian as it appears the National Cathedral sustained the most visible damage.

However, I'll wait for our visionary Keith's input.

Funny thing, my family and I just returned from a Washington DC road trip last night. The Smithsonian is awesome.

[dinopello]

Thanks, Basil.

I did find that some ceramic cups that had been stacked in a armoir had fallen out and broken - only damage as far as I can tell.

The epicenter was near to the North Anna nuclear plant and they apparently are without power.

Glad you enjoyed the museums!

A friend of mine maintains the gardens at the National Cathedral. The spires on th etower that broke off are (were) the highest point in DC

[Timo]

Welcome Irene!, Or, as they say at Fukushima, Ohio Ilene!

Does anybody out there have anything one way or the other on Webbot? It's a 2012 thing, or at least it turned into one. Just curious.

[basil_hayden]

I did find that some ceramic cups that had been stacked in a armoir had fallen out and broken - only damage as far as I can tell.
The epicenter was near to the North Anna nuclear plant and they apparently are without power.
Glad you enjoyed the museums! A friend of mine maintains the gardens at the National Cathedral. The spires on th etower that broke off are (were) the highest point in DC

The rock, mineral and gem collection in the NHM was the only collection I've every seen that rivals Yale's collection at the Peabody Museum, awesome. Lot's of evolution stuff too, sticking it to the Creationists/Intelligent Design numbnuts, but I don't think most of them could read.

DC was filled with foreigners, which I did not expect. I used to think Americans were rude and pushy. Not anymore.
Euros and Indians/Pakistanis I presume were off the charts. Strange, there relatively nice up here and not on vacation.
Kept running over my 4 year old son who is vision impaired. Almost came to swings with a couple of 'em.

NASM was also cool, toss up between NHM and NASM. Boy, the stuff we've (civilization) has done is amazing - flight, rockets, etc.

I think the Gossamer Condor impressed me the most though. I remember clearly when that was in the news, breathtaking to see it up close.

Funny how the epicenter was reported as Mineral, VA - coincidence? I think not.
I don't recall feeling it up here, but I did awake from a nap on the couch at exactly 12:52 pm. Hmmm.

Highest point - most sway? I guess the P wave lifted and the S wave shook the masonry at the top off the steeples.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Welcome Irene!, Or, as they say at Fukushima, Ohio Ilene!

Does anybody out there have anything one way or the other on Webbot? It's a 2012 thing, or at least it turned into one. Just curious.

Uh, little earthquakes happen frequently. We're just not very used to them in the eastern U.S.

On Aug 20, A place called Vanuatu near Queensland, Australia had a magnitude (of at least - reports vary) 7.0 earthquake, well over over 10 times the size of the 5.8 (they revised it downward in Va.).

Probably makes sense to actually look at some earthquake magnitude/frequency history before we break out the tin hats and declare this a "2012 event" and proclaim "the end is near".

In California, BTW, they probably wouldn't even have paid much attention to this.

[Sixstrings]

Probably makes sense to actually look at some earthquake magnitude/frequency history before we break out the tin hats and declare this a "2012 event" and proclaim "the end is near".

I read somewhere that for the area, this was "the worst quake in 66 years" or some such.

Sounds unusual to me.. OTOH.. it's like all the climate stuff we have to wait to see if records keep breaking and "once in a" events keep happening.

[dohboi]

I'm sorry folks, I do find it a bit ominous that two once-in-a-hundred-year earth quakes happened on the same day.

Seems like something is getting ready to shift or blow to me.

[Sixstrings]

Nuclear Plant Near Epicenter Shuts Down



A nuclear power plant located in Louisa County, the epicenter of the earthquake in Virginia, has shut down.

..

The plant declared an "unusual event" in the wake of the 5.8 magnitude quake, which is the lowest stage on the plant's emergency scale. The AP reports the plant is being run off of four emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for critical safety equipment.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DC-Nuclear-Plant-Near-Epicenter-Shuts-Down-128261808.html

One diesel generator has already failed:

2 nuclear reactors taken offline after Va. quake

A fourth diesel generator failed, but it wasn't considered an emergency because the other generators are working, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/ap?articleID=7534152

You know, it's really annoying that when TSHTF so many lives are dependent on a few diesel generators. Darn these nuke plants and the frickin backup gas generators that aren't reliable.

Also..

Earthquake was felt all the way in Chicago, Toronto, and Alabama.

[Sixstrings]

All Shook Up? Barack Obama missed golf putts after earthquake struck

The earthquake that originated here in Virginia was felt across the east coast of the United States, including the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, where Barack Obama is holidaying. The President was out playing golf at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs when the tremors were detected by some in the White House press pool.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100101932/all-shook-up-barack-obama-missed-putts-after-earthquake-struck/

[rangerone314]

I'm sorry folks, I do find it a bit ominous that two once-in-a-hundred-year earth quakes happened on the same day.

Seems like something is getting ready to shift or blow to me.

Maybe Yellowstone Cauldron will erupt.

[dohboi]

Who knows?

I would sorely like to hear anyone interview anyone that knows anything significant about seismology talk about the likelihood of such an event occurring by chance. And if it isn't by chance, what the h*ll does it portend?

[edit--so I searched "seismologist" this guy just sounds as perplexed as everyone else--but still not really talking about the 'coincidence' of two record freak quakes happening essentially simultaneously.

“Theoretically, we should not have them but we do,” Dr. Charles Scharnberger explained. “Mid-plate earthquakes are kind of mysteries, nobody completely understands why they occur.”

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Local-seismologist-speaks-to-CBS-21-about/p9t6ZDvzAUmtykQRhTHOAA.cspx

Then there's this, which I suppose was trying to calm the natives, sort of:

Seismologists also say that the two earthquakes will not affect the New Madrid fault line which is located south of St. Louis. The experts say that the fault line could still be active.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Local-seismologists-believe-recent-earthquakes-will-not-affect-New-Madrid-fault-line-128282013.html

Please, if anyone finds anything else, especially better than these, please let me know.

How can it be that no seismologist anywhere in the country or world has anything to say about this on line?

[Sixstrings]

Cracks Discovered in Washington Monument

Cracking was found in the stones at the top of the Washington Monument Tuesday evening, the National Park Service reported.

...

The cracking in the Monument was discovered during a secondary inspection. Structural engineers will evaluate the cracks Wednesday and determine how to repair them before the Monument is reopened.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Major-Monuments-Closed-in-DC-for-Quake-128275528.html

[Pretorian]

I'm sorry folks, I do find it a bit ominous that two once-in-a-hundred-year earth quakes happened on the same day.

Seems like something is getting ready to shift or blow to me.

Maybe Yellowstone Cauldron will erupt.

It'd better be. Almost 2 years after any meaningful earthquake/eruption already.

[Sys1]

Seems there are more and more strong earthquakes and volcanoes eruptions. Or is it usual?

[Novus]

You know, it's really annoying that when TSHTF so many lives are dependent on a few diesel generators. Darn these nuke plants and the frickin backup gas generators that aren't reliable.

Also..

Nuclear plant is venting steam Now. Probably nothing but you can never be too cautious.