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Earthquake


OHSnow

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My mother called me earlier and said she felt it just north of Detroit, she is in the 5th story of a hospital and she said pictures were shaking and the windows rattled, kind of interesting this far away.

I'm in macomb and didn't feel anything. I'm assuming it would be more likely to notice and feel the smaller quakes if you are in a multi-level building vs outside in your yard. Also it seems earthquakes in the east are felt further away than west coast ones.

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Didn't feel anything in Beachwood east of Cleveland. I lived in Chile for several years, the earthquakes there were frequent and occasionally intense. My mother-in-law was a kid in Valdivia in 1960 when the largest earthquake in recorded history hit (mag 9.5), there are photos there of the town before and after and it's unbelievable what it did. She was lucky her family survived, they were all outside in an area that wasn't particularly devastated, just blind luck.

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When you look at where the earthquake was centered, it makes sense that a lot of people would feel it compared to where most earthquakes generally strike in the US.

A little physics too. Tall buildings amplify the motions of an earthquake. There are dozens of midsize to major metros that were within 400 miles of this quake all with midrise and highrise structures. The quake struck just after the lunch hour, so most people were at work sitting at their desk in a building that was most likely susceptible to the amplification of the quake. Had this exact quake struck at say 3 am, the effects probably would not have been felt by many farther away as people would have been home sleeping in a single or two story house.

As for here in Cleveland or any major metro area removed from the epicenter, those in high rise structures, generally the downtowns, would have felt quite the wobble, while someone in a structure without many floors in the suburbs or outside probably didn't even notice it.

In addition the ground type also plays a part in amplification. Softer soils will amplify the earthquake more than bedrock. So here in downtown Cleveland, which is essentially built on a sandy beach cliff, the amplification would be much greater than a few miles inland, combine that with 60 story structures and it's easy to see how you can get isolated moderate impacts being felt next to those who didn't even notice it.

It was definitely an odd feeling. The instant everything started shaking, the first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "holy crap we're having an earthquake." But, it's easy to see how those in tall buildings anywhere could have had nerves flare upon hearing a grumble and then feeling their building shake on a seemingly quiet Tuesday afternoon near the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.

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I felt it in northern Summit County, which is the county south of Cleveland for those not familiar. I was at a Walmart and felt it sitting down on ground level. Things on the shelves, especially the things they hang were noticeably shaking/swaying and some other people did feel it, some didn't. It was mild but interesting, I figured there was a small earthquake centered somewhere in northern OH, not a big one centered in Virginia until I turned on the radio.

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