# We had a WHAT this morning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 20, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667 "2002-04-20T13:47:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/1 "2002-04-20T13:47:31Z")
This morning at about seven I woke up to my bed and the walls shaking. Alas, nothing I was doing was causing this. We had an **EARTHQUAKE!** In New Hampshire! Never been in one of those before. It doesn’t seem to have caused any damage and was quite minor. Still, though, earthquake. As if last night wasn’t weird enough. Cool.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/2 "2002-04-20T13:48:58Z")
[http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=2&cid=578&u=/nm/20020420/ts\_nm/quake\_usa\_dc\_1](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=2&cid=578&u=/nm/20020420/ts_nm/quake_usa_dc_1) The story. So far initial reports say no major damage. Even cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/3 "2002-04-20T13:50:03Z")
Unsettling, though, isn’t it? I’ve been through a few (back when I lived in LA) and even one in Chicago once. Terra firma is suddenly not so firma! ---
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/4 "2002-04-20T15:28:38Z")
[You’re about a half hour too late…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110598) ---
**Author:** ![Kipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kipper)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/5 "2002-04-21T00:10:09Z")
Welcome to the world of earthquakes. For you next lesson try living on a fault line. I one lived in a house were a major fault line was on the other side of the street, literally. I didn’t really think to much about it at the time. My worst earthquake experience was being in the third floor of an old brick building when you could hear the iron roof rippling and dust was comming out from between the bricks. This went on for what felt like ten minnutes but was probally about 30 seconds. I pretty much shat myself and spent the rest of the day at ground level. Chances are there will be a big buildings falling over and people getting killed earthquake where I live, within my lifetime. It’s overdue but you don’t think too much about it. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/6 "2002-04-21T02:45:46Z")
The epicenter was just about 30 miles from my house ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/7 "2002-04-21T03:40:10Z")
According to the Yahoo story, people as far south as Baltimore felt it. Here I am in NJ, and I actually slept through it. The first I knew about it was a radio news report around 11 a.m. I expect that not getting to bed until almost 4 a.m. had something to do with that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/8 "2002-04-21T04:02:34Z")
We felt it up in Montreal, too! Well, not me personally. I slept through it. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/9 "2002-04-21T06:34:38Z")
As a long-time Los Angelino, I can say that any earthquake which doesn’t get at _least_ a 4.5 will be promptly ignored by me. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/10 "2002-04-21T06:42:22Z")
I live in CT and I missed it. What really grates me is that the local news was making such a big deal about it. The guy in their ad for the news was talking about how “the corner of his house was shaking.” Wow, that hasn’t happened since last week when they were doing road construction outside my house, or the lightning storm a few weeks ago. It was 300 miles away in bumf\*\*k nowhere (sorry **clayton** ) and there were barely any discernable effects THERE. My .02. And **rjung** it was a 5.1 so I guess you should pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/11 "2002-04-21T16:15:10Z")
Your earthquake turned out to be absurdly apropos of a conversation between my wife and I… We were watching some show or other and there was a very fragile vase on somebody’s mantelpiece. Wife asks, “Don’t they worry about it falling off in an earthquake?” I answer, "No, they’re back east, somewhere around New York…then went into the other room and turned on the news and heard about it. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/12 "2002-04-21T16:22:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Morgyn \* > \*\*According to the Yahoo story, people as far south as Baltimore felt it. Here I am in NJ, and I actually slept through it. \*\* Don’t feel too bad. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Nine years that I’ve lived up here, I’ve been through (probably) an earthquake a year. Only felt two of them, though - the rest didn’t wake me up - except one that hit while I was building a set for a local theatre. The stage area is built on bedrock, and hardly moved at all (I didn’t feel it) and the lobby area is built on fill, and they shook all over the place, knocking cupboards open, etc. The House Manager came flying onto the stage all freaked out, and couldn’t understand why my crew and I were so calm. “I missed another one? DAMN!” was my response. ---
**Author:** ![Witch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Witch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Witch)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/13 "2002-04-21T17:33:39Z")
Didn’t feel it here south of Boston, despite the media frenzy. ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/14 "2002-04-21T18:37:12Z")
I felt it pretty strongly, being about 35 miles from the epicenter. It jolted me awake and to my feet, and unlike most accounts I’ve heard I figured out what was going on immediately. It was accompanied by a low roaring sound. Strangely enough, I was able to get back to sleep very quickly after such an adrenalin shock. Come to think of it, that was the first earthquake I ever remember feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-had-a-what-this-morning/104667/15 "2002-04-21T18:59:22Z")
Heh, yeah I noticed it too… woke me up here in Providence, RI. I live in a very poorly insulated house, so I figured it was a truck going by. I remember thinking “Heh, how ironic if I just moved back from CA and am in an earthquake in RI!” and then promptly forgot about the incident till I woke up.