so, we just had an earthquake here in San Diego

[lazarus]

and, just as with every other earthquake we've had since I've been here, the animals all freaked out.

After the quake. Not before.

[charlie]

1. I experienced at least a hundred earthquakes

when I lived in Japan. There was one summer when the Izu peninsula, 100 miles down the road, was having hundreds of tremors A DAY for months. Every few days, it'd pop one big enough to wobble my house.

Most houses in Japan are flimsy structures, compared to American homes. My two-story Korean War vintage place was especially insubstantial -- if you gave the ground floor a mild stomp, you could make the whole house shake.

So, when a wave from an earthquake was within 10-15 miles, you would begin hearing houses rattle, building in intensity until there was a huge racket just before it arrived. They were an early warning system humans could hear.

Of course, sometimes animals might hear and feel advancing waves you can't. Which is all you need for Animal Planet to come out and film your mysterious and psychic Mr Mittens.

Clearly, your crew isn't psychic. No Animal Planet for you.

[FiveGoodMen]

14. "building in intensity until there was a huge racket just before it arrived"

I'm confused about that part...

It seems like the sound waves traveling through the air from the already-shaking houses shouldn't be able to reach you any faster than the -- basically -- sound waves traveling through the ground that make up the earthquake.

[charlie]

15. I can't explain it, I don't know why

Sound should move much slower. Maybe it had to do with us being on a mountainside. But we always heard the sound from below before we felt the earthquake reach us.

[salvorhardin]

18. Yeah, that doesn't make sense

P-waves travel about 5000 meters per second through granite, while sound through air only travels about 340 meters per second. And according to this study, the speed actually increases as pressure goes up. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18023234

So it seems to me you should always feel an earthquake before you hear it.

Note: Not discounting your experiences charlie. They just seem counter to what I'd expect.

[onager]

2. We felt it up here in Los Angeles.

:hi:

Rocking and rolling for a few seconds. It seemed to go on for quite a while. But then it always SEEMS to.

I didn't hear any of the local critters making a fuss. You're right, usually they do after a jolt.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. IT HAPPENED BECAUSE MOTHER EARTH IS ANGRY!

Round up the virgins!

[Odin2005]

11. OH, I HATE those posts.

That and "Mother Earth is getting ready to shake of the cancer that is humanity" or other such anthropomorphic BS.

[TZ]

4. I experienced my first earthquake recently

When I was in Phoenix of all places....That big Baja Mexico one. Felt like a big truck went by..

[lazarus]

5. It was much worse here

it went on forever, just a constant rolling motion like waves.

This latest one wasn't so bad. It ended up being a 5.4 or 5.7. Lasted about 15-20 seconds, compared to a full minute for the Easter quake.

[Silent3]

6. 2012!

It's all a sign!

[Codeine]

7. It's the plates settling

as the oil leaks out of the Gulf gusher! :tinfoilhat:

[TZ]

8. Global warming and the Pentagon did it!

:eyes:

[laconicsax]

9. By "global warming," do you mean "chemtrails?"

Last week I heard a guy call into the Randi Rhodes show to say that he isn't voting for some incumbent Senator because she won't denounce the Pentagon's spraying of chemtrails as causing global warming.

[TZ]

10. LOL!

I hadn't heard that one. No there is one person here that posits that all the earthquakes are due to global warming and that the Pentagon under Bush knew about it and covered it up...:eyes:

[laconicsax]

12. Well, yeah. Everyone knows that. Everyone in The Circle that is.

I've said too mich already.

[lazarus]

13. so we just had another one

fairly good sized temblor. No movement from the cats. No movement from the dog. The bird went psycho at the very end, because she hates having her cage shaken.

The fish didn't seem put out at all, although the water almost left the aquarium.

[onager]

16. Aftershock from the Mexicali quake on 6/15...

At least that's what the experts were saying, up here in L.A.

It was a pretty big jolt, though! Happened at 4:53 in the afternoon, as I was getting ready to leave work. When I got home, I was glad that nothing had fallen over.

[Deep13]

17. That is shocking!

An earthquake in California?! It must be the End Times (tm).

[lazarus]

19. I blame Global Warming

or HFCS. One or the other.

[TZ]

20. We had a 3.6 quake in Maryland this morning

and (I'm housesitting for my mother) neither the dog or the bird made a fuss.....

[lizerdbits]

21. Max just jumped off the bed because of the noise

I was asleep before the rumbling, but considering the time I suspect he was contemplating jumping on my stomach to tell me it was time for food.