[Coco] off topic......Earthquake

[J.P. Samson]

On Apr 18, 2008, at 6:36 PM, Allen Huffman wrote:
> On Apr 18, 2008, at 7:14 PM, Nuxie at aol.com wrote:
>
>> Hey Yall ! I know some of you felt that big shaker that came  
>> through here
>> this morning. I just wanted to make sure my fellow coconuts were  
>> ok. the first
>> one was only 45 miles from me and it came and lasted about 45  
>> seconds. No one
>
>
> We felt it in Des Moines, IOwa, if it's the same one.  Actually,  
> some folks did (I missed it) but today around lunchtime we felt  
> something downtown about the same time an aftershock happened.  It  
> was eerie.
>
> I guess the Californians know what this is like, but the ground  
> shouldn't shake in Iowa!

I guess you guys are all situated around the New Madrid fault that  
runs 150 miles from Arkansas to the southern border of Illinois.  The  
area is probably overdue for a magnitude 6 earthquake, and every  
500-700 years is expected to get hit with a magnitude 7 or 8 (but  
that's not expected to happen again for several centuries).  Glad to  
hear you're only shaken and are otherwise are okay.  (Groan.)

Here's some quick reading for ya:
http://quake.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/NewMadrid/

-- JP