Earthquake!

[vansmack]

I didn't say that I did and I qualified my post by stating that it 'seems'. I bet you don't have any absolutes about what's happening either.

Alaska, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico have hundreds (thousands in the case of AK) of tiny earthquakes each month.  Their fault lines are completely different than the fault line that slipped in Virginia.  The Central Virginia seismic zone along the James River has been considered dangerous for years, but activity on the San Andreas or any of the Rocky Mountain Faults lines would have absolutely nothing to do with that zone.

If anything, if they were related, releasing pressure on one fault would lessen the pressure on a related zone, not cause more.  Would you like me to keep going?

[Jaguar]

Would you like me to keep going?

Sure. Why not? I'm enjoying this. I knew most of that but not much else and am aware of it. Just don't keep up on those things in all that much detail. Certainly don't know all of the fault lines and am very aware of that. Apparently, there's some sort of major inactive volcano in Colorado that could come into play. Don't know if that's involved with that or not.

[slappy]

According to this website it was in a known 'Seismic Zone'
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/quake.html

"The last "big one" in Virginia (about a 5.8 on the Richter scale) was on May 31, 1897, in Pearisburg, the county seat of Giles County."

[Relaxer]

And now we are a barren wasteland having to dig out of the wreckage. (Cue: sad Platoon music)

[vansmack]

Sure. Why not? I'm enjoying this. 

Here's your animated model from billions of years ago:



Turns out those plates are still moving....

[imbecile]

I didn't say that I did and I qualified my post by stating that it 'seems'. I bet you don't have any absolutes about what's happening either.

Alaska, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico have hundreds (thousands in the case of AK) of tiny earthquakes each month.  Their fault lines are completely different than the fault line that slipped in Virginia.  The Central Virginia seismic zone along the James River has been considered dangerous for years, but activity on the San Andreas or any of the Rocky Mountain Faults lines would have absolutely nothing to do with that zone.

If anything, if they were related, releasing pressure on one fault would lessen the pressure on a related zone, not cause more.  Would you like me to keep going?

Hmm, yup.

I work in Columbia, MD and it rattled us pretty good.  Additionally, I work with a bunch of geologists and everyone got excited, half ran outside to watch stuff shake, the other half ran for instruments.

I've been trying to check in with family in Richmond and phones are out all over the area, so needless to say it caused some damage of some kind.

[Jaguar]

I've been trying to check in with family in Richmond and phones are out all over the area, so needless to say it caused some damage of some kind.

Or is it just a data traffic jam?

[Relaxer]

Maybe your family decided this was a good time to ditch you once and for all?

[vansmack]

Apparently, there's some sort of major inactive volcano in Colorado that could come into play.

Yes, most volcanoes are signs of where the asthenosphere (inner layer of the crust) has made it's way past the lithosphere (outer layer).  That usually occurs in cracks in the crust which is essentially what an earthquake is:  one piece of the crust striking or moving against another piece of the crust. 

However, a volcano 2,000 miles away erupting with lava and causing earthquakes will generally have no bearing on crust that far apart.

[i am gay and i like cats]

Apparently, there's some sort of major inactive volcano in Colorado that could come into play.

Yes, most volcanoes are signs of where the asthenosphere (inner layer of the crust) has made it's way past the lithosphere (outer layer).  That usually occurs in cracks in the crust which is essentially what an earthquake is:  one piece of the crust striking or moving against another piece of the crust. 

However, a volcano 2,000 miles away erupting with lava and causing earthquakes will generally have no bearing on crust that far apart.

you know everything about cellphones . . . and earthquakes?  uhmm, who are you?   

[vansmack]

you know everything about cellphones . . . and earthquakes?  uhmm, who are you?  

I was 3 units away from having a geology minor (emphasis on seismology) in college.  I was then and still am fascinated by the science. 

[i am gay and i like cats]

smart people . . . are always the best in bed.

[Jaguar]

Apparently, there's some sort of major inactive volcano in Colorado that could come into play.

Yes, most volcanoes are signs of where the asthenosphere (inner layer of the crust) has made it's way past the lithosphere (outer layer).  That usually occurs in cracks in the crust which is essentially what an earthquake is:  one piece of the crust striking or moving against another piece of the crust. 

However, a volcano 2,000 miles away erupting with lava and causing earthquakes will generally have no bearing on crust that far apart.

you know everything about cellphones . . . and earthquakes?  uhmm, who are you?   

The Answer Man.

[Venerable Bede]

Sure. Why not? I'm enjoying this. 

Here's your animated model from billions of years ago:

billions of years?  how many biblical days is that???

colorado had a 5.3 or so earthquake the other day.  the "super-volcano" in the mountain west is a caldera is that makes up most of yellowstone....the lovely geysers there are steams from the built up pressure under the earth.  the molten earth underneath yellowstone is caused from the subduction zone along the washington state coast where the pacific plate and the juan de fuca plate are driven under the north american plate- the melted crust turns to liquid hot magma.  that's also why the peaks in the cascades are either extinct or dormant volcanoes (e.g., lassen, shasta, hood, st. helens, and rainier, to name a few).

for the trivia and history buffs- the largest series of earthquakes in north america occurred in missouri in 1811-1812 along the mississippi river in new madrid, mo.

once upon a time i wanted to be a seismologist.....but there was math involved.

[Vas Deferens]

LOL @ the evacuations