Victorian Earthquake

Melbourne is currently in its sixth lockdown, experiencing another day of anti-lockdown protests in the CBD, and this morning we had an earthquake. When are the locusts arriving? The 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit in the Victorian alpine town of Mansfield at 9:15am at a depth of 10km and was felt in multiple states. As the shaking started I thought either we were having an earthquake or my apartment building was collapsing. The shaking went on for 10-15 seconds and I knew it was above a 5 on the Richter scale. Thankfully there was minimal damage throughout the state, with the biggest casualty being the brick facade of a building on Chapel Street in Windsor. But earthquakes, let alone this size, aren't meant to happen here. The largest earthquake I've experienced was the 6.9 magnitude 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area, but this one was equally unnerving as it wasn't expected.

Earthquake

It just wouldn't have been the complete California experience if I didn't have an earthquake while I was home. The Bay Area had a magnitude 5.6 quake centered in Alum Rock on the Calaveras Fault a little after 8:00 pm. It was a gentle rolling motion that lasted about 15 seconds. We could see the lamp shade shaking at our house but there was no damage.

You Call That An Earthquake?

Last night we had an "earthquake" here in Melbourne. Many people were talking about it at work this morning- I told them they shouldn't get excited unless it's at least a 5.0 on the Richter Scale.

1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Today is the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 7.8 - 7.9 quake shook the Bay Area for 40 seconds, but it was the fire that raged for three days that did the most damage to San Francisco. This website on The Great Quake has tons of fantastic information, photos, and multimedia about the quake and rebuilding.