Holy Crap! An Earthquake!

I TOLD Josh I felt the apartment rattle last night! I don't remember what time it was, but it was late, when we were in the living room. I was sitting at my computer and felt the desk shake and I could hear some of the glasses in our dishwasher tap against each other. It was only for a brief moment, which makes a lot of sense considering what I read below. I know we have a fault line somewhere near us, so the chances of feeling an earthquake if one occurred were rather high for us anyway. Wierd! I've never felt an earthquake before, but I know I don't have a good enough idea yet of how they really can be.


Earthquake Rocks Western Carolinas
Quake Measures 3.8 On Richter Scale
POSTED: 12:03 am EDT August 25, 2005
UPDATED: 9:07 am EDT August 25, 2005

HOT SPRINGS, N.C. -- If you thought you felt the earth move Wednesday night, you were right.

An earthquake struck the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia just after 11 p.m., causing some scares but very little damage.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was about 2 miles from Hot Springs, N.C., which is about 25 miles north-northwest of Asheville.

Preliminary reports indicate the quake took place about 3 miles below the ground and reached a magnitude of 3.8.

The area where the quake occurred has been previously identified by the USGS as having a higher potential for earthquakes than much of the surrounding region.

People across the Upstate and as far south as Augusta reported rattling dishes and glasses, and many said they could feel the tremor coming as it approached.

Others closer to the epicenter described the event as being like a bomb hitting their home.

The quake's duration was reported to be anywhere between 7 and 20 seconds.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol reported a rockslide on Highway 209 in Madison County, near the epicenter of the quake. Scattered power outages were also reported, mainly near the epicenter.

The USGS said a considerably smaller 1.6 magnitude quake happened Tuesday evening about 50 miles west of Wednesday night's epicenter.