San Jose Earthquake: 4.3 Magnitude Temblor Strikes California

A minor earthquake hit California this morning. Geologists placed the epicenter of the earthquake near Morgan Hill.

Courtesy of the US Geological Survey, here are some stats on the San Jose quake:

Magnitude: 4.3 - regional moment magnitude (Mw)

Time: Monday, March 30, 2009 at 10:40:29 AM (PDT)
Distance from: Morgan Hill, CA - 18 km (11 miles) N (7 degrees)
Seven Trees, CA - 19 km (12 miles) E (91 degrees)
Alum Rock, CA - 20 km (13 miles) ESE (117 degrees)
San Jose City Hall, CA - 25 km (16 miles) ESE (104 degrees)

Comments

[geographycat]

01:35 PM on 04/02/2009

A Geography Professor at Cal State Northridge told our class about a religious group who were convinced California was evil because of the earthquakes, so they packed up and moved to “god’s country” in Tennessee. Two weeks after they arrived, they had a severe quake. Darn shame they didn’t know about the New Madrid fault system before they left, otherwise they could have gone some place else and get hit with a hurricane.

[afgail]

06:09 PM on 04/01/2009

Hey. When the next big one hits stand under a door jam away from windows. Stay away from fireplaces with brick veneer. If outside get away from chimneys, overhead electrical lines, and tall buildings with large windows.

[JackStark]

02:10 PM on 04/01/2009

We had a 4.6 and some aftershocks a few days ago here at the southern end of the fault near the Salton Sea.

[PoliticalAmazon]

07:54 PM on 04/01/2009

There's been a swarm of little ones in that area, hasn't there? I've read some articles with experts quoted as saying this may be teh preamble to a significant (>7.0) earthquake.

[AnotherHuddy]

12:20 PM on 04/01/2009

Considering the Alum Rock quake last year, is this a warm-up for the southern Hayward Fault?
~s~

[Maria Elena]

11:58 PM on 03/31/2009

Hey again people.I have some advice if another earthquake happens.if you feat under the bed go under it,the bed protects you by beign hit by cherock or things made from the ceeling.Another advice is going under the table,the table doesn't break with materials from the ceeling.Hope this works for you people.see you later people.by(-_-)

[Maria Elena]

11:37 PM on 03/31/2009

Hey,Today March 30,2009. I felt an earthquale. It wasn't that bad couse it was was just medium earthquake not strong. But it was scary, that i tought the seeling was going to brake and fall on top of me.But im ok

[kashifsaeed28]

04:39 PM on 03/31/2009

I hope no one is hurt.

My blog:
http://project-you-are-not-alone.blogspot.com

[AngieMom57]

12:24 PM on 03/31/2009

Good time to phone your Allstate Agent and see that your earthquake policy is in effect...just saying...

[AngieMom57]

12:17 PM on 03/31/2009

I felt this coming! Read about it a few days ago, students doing a field trip to the fault and finding activity. More than that, being about a few hundred miles away at the time of quake yesterday I was writing in my journal, away from the computer, yet got a very high frequency "ear ringing" is what my grandmother would call it for the duration of not less than two minutes. Then I went out to move the drip system in the yard...

Just saying...

[jeliz]

10:54 AM on 03/31/2009

Hulu has a movie, "Ring of Fire," I watched last night. I never realized how little early we really have between our feet and hot magma. It was something to see if you've never watched it, and it does show some of the earthquake in San Francisco not that long ago.

[mamacat]

01:15 AM on 03/31/2009

Just for the sake of the discussion: the Richter scale is logorithmic.

A 5.3 quake is 10 times stronger than a 4.3, a 6.3 is 100 times stronger than a 4.3, a 7.3 quake is 1000 times stronger, and the worst quake in recent North American history, the Alaska quake of a few decades back, was more than 10,000 times worse than this quake.

When a big one hits a populated area, it is comparable to a category 5 hurricane, or worse.

[derrickhoyle]

08:01 PM on 03/31/2009

Also worth noting is the amount of energy released. Each magnitude releases about 31.6 times the energy of the previous magnitude; thus a 5.3 quake releases 31.6 times more energy than a 4.3, a 6.3 quake releases nearly 1000 times more energy than a 4.3, and a 7.3 quake releases over 31,000 times more energy than a 4.3.

[perk]

12:18 AM on 03/31/2009

Clearly this earthquake is the fault of Bush policies and somehow ties in to global warming.

[Huffer27]

12:37 AM on 03/31/2009

No, but this is Bush's fault: Cheney. Toss in Rumsfeld, Gonzales...

[gevan]

02:03 PM on 04/01/2009

Didja notice the volcano in Alaska? [wink]

[mamacat]

01:17 AM on 03/31/2009

Quickly, sacrifice him to the earthquake god, before it is too late.

[moonbay]

12:16 AM on 03/31/2009

I felt it, slightly, on the SF peninsula, coast side. Stopped for a second to see if I had to do anything special, 2 seconds later decided I was fine just where I was. Just a reminder - wherever you live, do you have your emergency "box" ready to go? Mine is a (new bought) garbage can with everything I need in it. Also, while doorways are good, check out the "triangle of life" (or something like that). Get on the floor next to a very sturdy piece of furniture and sheetrock and such will form a "triangular/pyramidal hole" around you as it falls onto the bed, wardrobe,... In terrible earthquakes this has best statistics for survival (other than being outside somewhere where nothing can fall on you). Outside is good for "rollers," but don't know anything about cracks opening and closing (or is that just in the movies?).

[mamacat]

01:09 AM on 03/31/2009

Cracks are for real. We had one open up in the street in front of our house during a 6+ quake, about 18 inches wide. We couldn't see the bottom, and we couldn't hear rocks hitting bottom. Very spooky. There were other cracks like that one on other streets. Also, the whole house, foundations and all, moved away from the street and made a three inch gap in the water line coming from the main line.

During the main quake, the street made waves about 4 feet high, as if it were made of water. Still, I would prefer to be outside. Everything inside the house was knocked over, knocked down, broken, and bounced all over the place. The only fatality on our block happened to a man who was outside - his old unreinforced chimney fell down on him.

[GunneraGirl]

02:42 AM on 03/31/2009

where was this? was this during the loma prieta quake of '89?

during that quake a fissure frmed in the earth near scott's valley, near santa cruz, which with geological instruments, was measured to be SEVEN MILES DEEP!!!!!!!!!

[dems08]

07:57 AM on 03/31/2009

In the big Alaskan quake there were more than cracks opening up. The earth broke up into car or house-size chunks, and people held on for dear life to avoid falling down between the chunks.

[kirssstens]

12:05 AM on 03/31/2009

I felt it, here in Monterey. It lasted all of 5 seconds. Clearly remember thinking 'hope it's not the big one'.

I always lay down next to the back of the couch or the side of the bed, NOT stand in a doorway.

[jonmonbuckeye]

11:27 PM on 03/30/2009

that's great! It starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes and airplanes...

[RaiHoney]

11:30 AM on 04/01/2009

:) thats been my ringtone for 3 wks now lol... i am prepared