09 October 2010

Shake, Rattle and Roll

I'm a bit late with this one, but last night there was a strong earthquake.


USGS data from their earthquake site:



And the 'graph from OVSICORI, the Volcano and Seismic Center at the National University (UNA)



The center of the quake was about 20 miles from here, and if you know anything about Costa Rica, about 2 miles west of the caldera of Poas Volcano.

My experience of this one was: a low shake for a moment, which grew to a large shake and then strong side to side movement for about 3-4 seconds... just long enough to make you wonder if it was gonna stop any time soon. Certainly the most ... impressive ... quake I've experienced in the 19 months I've been in Costa Rica.

All in all, pretty dang cool. :)

3 comments:

Lockwood said...

The one earthquake I've felt was a mag 5, about 100 mi away. At the time, I thought it was a strong thump from nearby roadwork.

Anonymous said...

There's something exciting about a 'quake which rocks your world without causing serious harm, eh?

I'm sure that changes in a heartbeat when homes and lives are lost, but fortunately I've never been in that situation!

Oh, and my verification word is "yetiness," which is making me chuckle. :)

Mauigirl said...

I've still never experienced an earthquake. While I certainly don't hanker for a big one, it must be an interesting event to experience.