![\"Earthquake\"](\"https:\/\/kk.org\/thetechnium\/\/earthquake.jpg\")
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An hour ago we had a 3.8 earthquake in our backyard. On this Google map<\/a> “A” is our house in Pacifica, California, and “B” is the epicenter of the quake. We are less than a mile from the San Andreas fault, and so was the epicenter, so quakes are no surprise.<\/p>\n But what was a surprise was that we all heard it long before we felt it. My wife and son were home. Camille Cloutier and I were standing chatting in my studio when we heard a loud roaring truck coming up to the side of the house. We turned our heads to look outside, then BAM! The house shook for a second or two, creaked, and then silence. We all came running together checking for safety, and everyone said, “Did you hear that?” <\/p>\n No damage. But the sound is imprinted in our minds. We could even tell which direction the quake came from, because that was the direction of the sound, like a giant engine roar. This long rumbling roar preceded the quake by several seconds. I guess the sound waves travel faster than the earthquake waves.<\/p>\n The electricity for the whole town went out for a spell. Every integer on the the magnitude scale of earthquakes is ten times stronger than the one before it. A 5 is ten times a 4, a 6 ten times a 5. The Sendai 8.9 earthquake was 10^5, or 100,000 times more energy than our minor earthquake today. It’s hard to imagine what one that is one hundred thousand times more powerful would feel — or sound — like at the epicenter. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An hour ago we had a 3.8 earthquake in our backyard. On this Google map “A” is our house in Pacifica, California, and “B” is the epicenter of the quake. We are less than a mile from the San Andreas … Continue reading