[Al_U_Card]

What with the Eureka, Haiti, Chile and the Turkey quakes, from the USGS in 2008:

A second factor making the Hayward Fault so dangerous now is that its most recent damaging earthquake was 140 years ago. USGS scientists have found evidence for 12 quakes on the southern Hayward Fault during the past 1,900 years. Ominously, the last five events (in 1315, 1470, 1630, 1725, and 1868) occurred at intervals of 95 to 160 years, with an average interval of 138 years.

It has now been 142 years since the 1868 "Great California Earthquake" (as it was referred to until 1906) and this may be the next big one as it's number seems about ready to come up.

What is your personal experience with earthquakes?

I was near the epicenter of a 6.2 and that was quite enough. Like riding a city bus that is going over cobblestone streets. Time also seems to stretch out as the thirty seconds or so seemed a whole lot longer.

[ArtK78]

While attending a North American Championship in Anaheim one summer some years ago, there were at least two earthquakes. The first occurred at about 6:00 p.m. one evening, and I was in my hotel room on the 17th floor. The building started to rock back and forth significantly, enough to notice and wonder "I am on the 17th floor of a building which feels like it is about to topple, so what am I supposed to do?" Only later did I find out that the building was supposed to sway back and forth like that to dissipate the force of the earthquake.

I was watching the local news at the time of the quake. It took several minutes for the quake to be reported, which seemed kind of odd. Apparently, the epicenter of the quake was about 150 miles east of San Diego. It was about a 6.2 quake. There was no significant damage.

The other quake was an aftershock a day or two later. I was playing in the evening session and I noticed that a the water in a glass on a table nearby was shaking. I could not feel the quake personally.

[vuroth]

The only earthquake I've ever felt in my life was the Kipawa Earthquake, in 2000. I was about 50 miles from the epicentre. It was strong enough to wake me up. (5.2 magnitude)

The funny part of this story is the date and time of the quake - 6am, Jan 1, 2000. I got up, and looked out the living room window, overlooking the city, trying to figure out what kind of practical joke was being played for Y2K.

I was blessed to grow up on and near some of the most stable rock on the planet.

[blackshoe]

I ran over an earthquake once, when I was in the Navy. Off the coast of Japan. Thought I'd hit a whale or something, but we couldn't find any evidence of that. It wasn't until later that we found out it was a 'quake.

[Phil]

With apologies to Chili, Turkey and Haiti, quakes are kind of fun. Its like being in an airplane with a LOT of turbulence. My friends from the midwest think I'm nuts when I say this.

We had a 5-something a last year and I went outside, because, well, I've never been outside during an earthquake and it was kind of cool since the ground feels liquid.

I've never been that close to the epicenter of a 7.0+ and I suppose I might feel different if I had. I expect at some time in my life I will.

[Fluffy]

There are no earthquakes here, I think there was one of 3.5 over ten year period at most. But was too far from Madrid to even notice.

So I have no idea of what 7.0 or 5.5 mean.

[Winstonm]

I lived for 5 years in Southern California and never so much as tripped over the carpet. When I moved to Las Vegas, I felt the effects of two California jolts - go figure.