Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Tue, Dec 23 2003
A 6.5 South Of Us
I was sitting here yesterday about 11:15 a.m. and felt the strange sensation of both pressure in my head and dizziness. I thought maybe I was coming down with something, but finally felt the subtle rocking around me and realized it wasn't all in my head. Quakes can be noisy, but this far away the only sound I heard was the window blinds clicking softly against the window sill. I feel extreme empathy for the folks down in Paso Robles (having myself experienced the Loma Prieta event in 1989). It's only "exciting" until someone is killed or hurt, or major property damage occurs. Then it's just a disaster. Geologists tell us this quake was par for the course in the development of our California scenery. Nearby mountain ranges may have been thrust upward from one to four feet as a result of yesterday's 6.5 quake. I heard one TV reporter mention last night that you could pick up the scent of sulphur in the air, because nearby capped-off waters from nearby hot springs had been disturbed by the earth movement. If it's been a long time since chemistry class, think of rotten eggs, with a bit of a stinging sensation thrown in, to recall the smell of sulphur.
We tend to forget that our planet is not just a hunk of old material rolling around in space, but a dynamic structure that changes from moment to moment, giving us one wild ride throughout life. Many changes are cyclical and somewhat predictable, but now and then Mother Nature splashes her canvas with a touch of what seems madness to us. And yesterday she was definitely toting an artist's temperament along with her capricious brush.
posted at: 06:43 | category: /Science | link to this entry
I was sitting here yesterday about 11:15 a.m. and felt the strange sensation of both pressure in my head and dizziness. I thought maybe I was coming down with something, but finally felt the subtle rocking around me and realized it wasn't all in my head. Quakes can be noisy, but this far away the only sound I heard was the window blinds clicking softly against the window sill. I feel extreme empathy for the folks down in Paso Robles (having myself experienced the Loma Prieta event in 1989). It's only "exciting" until someone is killed or hurt, or major property damage occurs. Then it's just a disaster. Geologists tell us this quake was par for the course in the development of our California scenery. Nearby mountain ranges may have been thrust upward from one to four feet as a result of yesterday's 6.5 quake. I heard one TV reporter mention last night that you could pick up the scent of sulphur in the air, because nearby capped-off waters from nearby hot springs had been disturbed by the earth movement. If it's been a long time since chemistry class, think of rotten eggs, with a bit of a stinging sensation thrown in, to recall the smell of sulphur.
We tend to forget that our planet is not just a hunk of old material rolling around in space, but a dynamic structure that changes from moment to moment, giving us one wild ride throughout life. Many changes are cyclical and somewhat predictable, but now and then Mother Nature splashes her canvas with a touch of what seems madness to us. And yesterday she was definitely toting an artist's temperament along with her capricious brush.
posted at: 06:43 | category: /Science | link to this entry
