Earthquake?
Uurgh ... we just had another earth tremor/mini-earthquake in Birmingham - ever since the one that happened in Dudley that I felt some years ago, I was certain I'd experience it here again - about the same time of night too (Dudley one was just before 1am as well I seem to recall). My house tends to shake a bit anyway when heavy traffic goes past, but every night as I'm lying in bed, any small shake that I feel, I've always worried in case it was a small earthquake happening again. Not that I mind being in a mini-earthquake, but it's the uncertainty while it's happening and the being here alone that are more frightening.
Well I was lying there just about to go to sleep, and this time it actually happened, which was pretty mad - seemed like a long time but was probably around a minute of shaking. Scary while it's happening because although it's mild, you don't know if it's a prelude to a bigger shake, and then when it was over it took me a while once out of bed before I felt like I was on solid ground.
I went outside immediately because I don't know enough about earthquakes/tremors to know when there may be secondary phases, and I didn't want to be in a shaky building by myself if there were! And also partly because I wondered if anyone else in the street had felt it too or if I imagined it somehow after dosing up on some potent Belgian hot chocolate. But indeed there were other residents opening windows and calling out, so it wasn't just me.
Hmm don't feel much like going back to bed immediately - wish I'd studied Geology further than A-Level, perhaps I'd know
a) where is the best place to be during/immediately after a mini-earthquake - inside or outside?
b) is there a way to know for certain that there won't be any aftershocks?
Also I'm wondering where the epicentre is - there may be people who could have felt it quite severely if it was some miles away from here. Damn BBC news isn't updating fast enough!
Well I was lying there just about to go to sleep, and this time it actually happened, which was pretty mad - seemed like a long time but was probably around a minute of shaking. Scary while it's happening because although it's mild, you don't know if it's a prelude to a bigger shake, and then when it was over it took me a while once out of bed before I felt like I was on solid ground.
I went outside immediately because I don't know enough about earthquakes/tremors to know when there may be secondary phases, and I didn't want to be in a shaky building by myself if there were! And also partly because I wondered if anyone else in the street had felt it too or if I imagined it somehow after dosing up on some potent Belgian hot chocolate. But indeed there were other residents opening windows and calling out, so it wasn't just me.
Hmm don't feel much like going back to bed immediately - wish I'd studied Geology further than A-Level, perhaps I'd know
a) where is the best place to be during/immediately after a mini-earthquake - inside or outside?
b) is there a way to know for certain that there won't be any aftershocks?
Also I'm wondering where the epicentre is - there may be people who could have felt it quite severely if it was some miles away from here. Damn BBC news isn't updating fast enough!