A Quake in the Quakies

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, we heard a sound. It's hard to describe the sound, but if you have ever been in an earthquake, you know it. Neither of us had heard that sound for a long time. At first I thought the other DrC had fallen down, and then I realized what was happening. The house was moving along with the sound. It's a sound unlike any you have ever heard. It's the sound of an earthquake that is centered nearby.

We are both native Californians and we've heard that "sound" before. The first time I heard it (and I remembered it) was in 1957 in the Bay Area. The sound came first then the house started to rock and roll. The house got a few more cracks in the plaster but there was no other damage. Other houses did not have the same experience. That time I remember my parents telling us kids that it was only an earthquake and all was OK. I still hear the vestiges of my parents saying that when I hear the "sound," more than half a century later. 

Unlike 1957, I went to earthquakes.gov and found the epicenter was less than 3 km from my house. No wonder I heard the "sound." About 20 minutes later there was an aftershock, not nearly as long nor as close, as there was no sound...just a thud as the earth moved. This morning, all the aspens are still quaking, as though nothing has happened. 

We live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Yellowstone is an active volcanic region. Yellowstone Lake is a huge caldera. Earthquakes in the GYE are common as there are several very small quakes on any given day. The small quakes are rarely felt. The quake we had last night measured 2.8. While definitely not a "big quake" it was noticeable. If you are not used to earthquakes, you might ask if it is dangerous living in the GYE? When the big quake strikes, it will be dangerous to live here, but until then, I'm not very worried at all. There will be lots of warning signs before the big one happens. We'll skedaddle when that happens. In the meantime, I love living in the Rocky Mountains during the summer time, listening to the song of the aspens.