# My first Earthquake! (By Sony).... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939 "2012-10-16T23:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/21 "2012-10-17T14:02:20Z")
I’m 15 miles north of Boston, and we felt it. We thought it was the trash truck finally showing up, then they broke into whatever my wife was watching to report the quake. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/22 "2012-10-17T14:02:32Z")
I was in my living room/basement yesterday, and while I was playing around on the computer, felt a minor tremble. I’ve got three dogs, so I assumed it was just one of them moving a dog bed (for some reason, they like to move the beds). I distinctly remember joking to myself that it’d be funny if it was an earthquake. Huh. Turns out it was. I’m just north of Baltimore. I imagine the only reason I felt it was because I was in the basement. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/23 "2012-10-17T15:19:49Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Felt near Derry (next town over, that nobody’s ever heard of). I didn’t believe my wife when she said it was an earthquake. I was thinking an off balance washer/dryer or boiler problem. > > My first ever! I have no interest in another, or anything stronger. > > FWIW, I’ve never actually seen hail fall either. I’ve been 10 minutes early, or 10 minutes late and seen it on the ground, but never falling where I was at that moment. Derry’s a real place? I thought it was only located in Stephen King’s imagination. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/24 "2012-10-17T15:28:02Z")
I’m about 20 miles from Hollis-Lake Arrowhead (the epicenter). For just a second, thought the boiler had exploded. Long harsh rumble, lots of shaking. Very, very rare to feel one here in Maine even though USGS says we have a few minor ones every year. Can’t say as I enjoyed the feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/25 "2012-10-17T15:31:57Z")
How very cool for you all get to feel an earthquake! I haven’t felt one since I moved from the Bay Area in 1984. I kind of miss them. ---
**Author:** ![Crab\_Rangoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Crab\_Rangoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crab_Rangoon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/26 "2012-10-17T15:36:41Z")
I was relieved to hear it was an earthquake - because I was thinking there was a giant Army helicopter hovering about 2 feet above our roof making all that noise and shaking the house! We’re near Augusta ME and felt it for about 30 seconds. It was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/27 "2012-10-17T16:58:26Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Here in York Maine, I have experienced my FIRST earthquake, it took about 30 seconds, and the whole house rumbled and felt like it was wiggling, somewhat unnerving to feel a 200+ year old New England Colonial house “wiggle” > > No damage, nothing fell over or broke, it was like having a “Whole house massage kit” hooked up to the house, actually was pretty cool > > Yes I know, this wouldn’t even register to Californians, but here in New England, quakes are vanishingly rare My “first earthquake” in Alaska was interesting, too. At the time, I was sitting on the floor of my apartment, paying bills. I had two cats, then. The whole building felt like it was rocking on the ocean, in a circular movement, and the chandelier above swayed a bit. The cats were crouched down, not moving a bit, looking very weirded-out. No, I didn’t feel the Great Maine Earthquake, where I live now, in Belfast. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/28 "2012-10-17T17:10:18Z")
As a former Californian living in Maine, I can tell you that anyone would notice what I felt and saw here in Portland last night. The neighbors thought their washers were off-balance or their furnaces blown up. But I recognized that roller coaster ride and we weren’t on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. My report (incl. photos of local damage): EARTHQUAKE! [http://tapu-tapu-tapu.blogspot.com/](http://tapu-tapu-tapu.blogspot.com/) ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/29 "2012-10-17T17:12:24Z")
It’s funny, looking back on it, my thought process went like this; Initial bang; Hmm, sounds like someone had a big accident outside 5 seconds in; Can’t be an accident, it’s getting stronger 10 seconds in, house is wiggling; Hope that’s not our oil furnace… 15 seconds in, subsiding Hmm, wonder if that was an earthquake, Naah, we never get them, that’s crazy Quake over around 20 seconds Call my sis, she felt it too, mom calls as well, I get to try the “merge calls” feature on my phone and conference all three of us, I grab my iPad and check USGS, then post this thread ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/30 "2012-10-17T17:31:52Z")
Damage update: when I got home, my guitar that had been leaning on the wall was flat on the floor. (to be fair, it coulda been the dog…) ---
**Author:** ![timid1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@timid1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timid1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/31 "2012-10-17T17:52:54Z")
Felt it in Lynn, MA 13 miles north of Boston. I thought it was just the drugs kicking in. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939/32 "2012-10-17T18:25:50Z")
Figures, we are headed up to Kittery Friday so we will totally miss it =( I have felt earthquakes a couple times - tiny ones, one in western NY, one here in CT and one in Ca [really an after shock for the SF earthquake, we were over in Fresno at the time.] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-earthquake-by-sony/637939.md?page=1)