6.0 Quake Rattles Northeastern Nevada

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: 6.0 Quake Rattles Northeastern Nevada

Oi, I didn't realize all that had been written here.

It's the make up of the soil and strata in a given area that will determine the amount of potential damage at a given magnitude. Sandy loam and a high water table would be at a higher risk.

Yes, hard rock (like Granite) transmits energy much more effectively causing less oscillations of the ground. Sandy and weakly lithified rock move much more, and high water tables compound problems.

What would be the rating on a quake that would re-shape the ground? There's stories out there of streets rising or sinking like 15-20 feet at any random spot, people's lawns becoming a minature golf course, etc. I assume this one just "shook", but didn't change the contour of the land?

It's not so much the rating of the quake as the location. Naturally larger rated quakes can be deeper and still effect the surface. This quake was 5 miles down, haven't read any reports of surface offset, but being in the middle of no where it could take a while to see (that and snow!). Tsunami causing quakes are good examples of ground rupture associated with big magnatudes. Occurs on land too, I'm sure you can come up with something on google with Ground Rupture and/or San Andreas.

And I didn't mention, but it certainly did not effect the Salt Flats in anyway. As for Dan, there are rare random earthquakes out east as the land settles and rebounds from the last Ice Age and general settling of the crust from gravity. And besides personally I'd take the chance one in ten years on an un-predictable Earthquake than three, four potential chances A year with hurricanes ;) As for my job, I do enjoy it, but it's only as interesting as I make it ;D At the end of the day it's still looking at rocks :P