California saw an inordinate number of earthquakes on the 26th. http://www.scecdc.scec.org/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.html

I have been monitoring our CA earthquakes and they seem to be on the increase. Suppose this is better than seeing a big one, but makes me nervous. Glad I have my "preps."

Also saw a swarm of quakes a few days ago at New Madrid fault.

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), January 27, 2000

Answers

Marsh,

The number of earthquakes on this list is not unusual. I have followed this site off and on for a couple of years and have seen the number as high as 2,300 plus on the map. As the Carole King song goes, "I feel the earth move under my feet". Aren't you from N. California too?

-- Sharon L (sharonl@volcano.net), January 27, 2000.

Numerous fault lines under the west coast actually absorb, dampen a vast amount of seismic energy. The very instability under California gives the entire area some 'give'. Unlike the Eastern U.S. with its far more ridged structure.

It seems to me that while California may suffer some huge earthquake someday, the Eastern U.S. is actually more vulerable to a truly catastrophic quake.

-- tim phronesia (phronesia@webtv.net), January 27, 2000.

Yes Sharon, I am from far Northern CA. I count 79 earthquakes in California yesterday. Granted all but 2 were below a "3," but doesn't the number of them seem large for just one day?

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), January 27, 2000.

I could be off base. But much depends upon just what we might consider as catastrphic.

-- tim phronesia (phronesia@webtv.net), January 27, 2000.

Those aren't earthquakes, it is just the ground shaking everytime the loggers cut down a giant redwood.

There are other perspectives from Ms. Marsh's. :-)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 27, 2000.

www.syzygyjob.com occasionally provides some insight.

-- Normally (Oxsys@aol.com), January 27, 2000.

Marsh,

Here's a really good map of california earthquakes:

[a href="http://ncweb-menlo.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/"]California Earthquakes]/a]

(hope the link works, it's my first time trying it)

-- No Polly (nopolly@hotmail.com), January 27, 2000.

Look on these small quakes as releasing the pressure which is constantly building...it is when you don't get them, that you need to be watching for a big one.

-- Laurane (familyties@rttinc.com), January 27, 2000.

Actually, earthquakes can't be predicted-humans have been trying for centuries to devise a method of earthquake prediction but none have as yet succeeded.

Because western California is actually part of the subducting Pacific Ocean plate instead of the North American plate that the rest of the contiguous 48 is on, the constant rumblings you feel may simply be the result of slight movements on a lateral strike-slip fault. Sometimes pressure is released through these movements. Other times it isn't, and Los Angeles makes a greater leap in its quest to reach San Fransisco (by traveling along the plate boundary), as we saw in 1989.

But you can't accurately predict (by any known means) when earthquakes are going to happen.

-- Die Fledermaus (shadow@alliance.org), January 27, 2000.