Rumbletown
The great Jan. 2010 earthquake, as seen from Eureka
(Jan. 14, 2010) On Saturday afternoon at 4:27 and 39 seconds, 18 miles beneath the surface of the ocean and 23 miles west of Ferndale, a vast slab of the earth’s crust known as the Gorda plate slipped vertically against the much larger North American plate laterally along a vertical faultline, releasing years of accumulated pressure in the form of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake. For a fraction of a moment, no one knew.
Then customers standing in line at Staples in the Eureka Mall looked up in unison, suddenly curious, like they were trying to recognize a tune on the radio. And then the floor made a sudden lateral lurch beneath their feet, as if the whole building had been perched on a flatbed truck when the driver popped the clutch. Instinctively, everyone’s knees bent for balance and their bodies went rigid, heads swiveling madly like startled animals. The ground quivered and rumbled briefly, but before anyone could move, the second jolt hit. “Angry” is how many would later describe it, like being rear-ended. It slammed the building violently, sending everything into cacophonous motion — lights popping, shelves sliding, office supplies crashing to the floor.
The young checker’s eyes went wide, and she sprinted for the door, followed closely by the throng. A panicked man face-planted just shy of the automatic door, then popped up immediately and kept running. Crowds poured from Blockbuster, Rite-Aid, Michael’s and Winco, flooding into the parking lot where streetlights swayed like ships’ masts. Some people screamed; others, the seasoned earthquake veterans, walked calmly over the speed bumps or casually pulled out their cell phones. Some turned and stared back at the buildings, perhaps expecting them to fall. Others jumped into their cars and filed into the eastbound procession on Harris Street.
Inside the Henderson Street branch of Papa Murphy’s Pizza, some smiled at the first few shock waves. They had all the characteristics of an average 3 or 4 quake. The windows rattled, the adrenaline level rose a touch. There was a split-second pause when it seemed like it was over, and then everything was chaos — the walls moved back and forth, and the building roared with sound. “Up” and “down” became variable for a few seconds, and people splayed their legs wide to keep their footing.
Fear was still visible as the quake subsided. The cashier, a young woman, paced directionlessly behind the counter, her hands clutched at her chest. “I’m scared. I’m scared,” she repeated to herself.
All over Eureka, residents emerged from their homes and stood dazed on the sidewalks. They called out to neighbors, “You OK?” “That was a big one!”
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44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
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FOUR Comments
Comment / By Dave Bazard / Jan. 14, 8:50 a.m.
The following is incorrect: “a vast slab of the earth’s crust, known as the Gorda plate, slipped vertically against the much larger North America plate, releasing years of accumulated pressure”
The earthquake was caused by HORIZONTAL slip on a left-lateral, strike-slip fault WITHIN the Gorda plate. There was very little vertical motion. That is why these faults do not typically produce a tsunami (although secondary ocean displacement can cause a local tsunami).
The stress on the Gorda plate (from interactions with both the North American and Pacific Plates) causes the Gorda plate to deform and essentially break up. This deformation is represented by numerous left-lateral, strike-slip faults - similar to the one that moved on Saturday. Motions on these faults are the most common sources of damaging earthquakes in our area.
Comment / By Ryan Burns / Jan. 14, 9:28 a.m.
You’re right, Dave. The fault is on a near vertical; the slip was not. Here’s the USGS description of the quake. Thanks for the correction.
Comment / By Dave Bazard / Jan. 14, 10:59 a.m.
…and thanks for your detailed article.
Your readers may be interested to know that the USGS downgraded the probability of a damaging >5.0 aftershock in the 7 days following Saturday’s earthquake from 78% to 38% (it may be even lower today). The 78% number is still posted on the USGS web site referenced above.
Comment / By Trisha / Jan. 20, 9:15 p.m.
This was such a moving description of the earthquake, I feel strange complaining of how scared I felt, with the Haiti earthquake only a little higher causing such devastating and tragic results.
Like many earthquakes, the beginning was like, “here comes another one, like the ones that happy cows love so much.” Then it increasing and going on and then that sharp jolting as I went flying to the side door as the house was shifting side to side so much it was difficult to reach, open and get out.
My plan is always to go for the large lot next door, free of power lines, leaving the door open for my cat to follow suit. She is smarter, and stayed low behind the couch next to the wall; perfect place to be. If I was in a back room, I would roll into the large closet where I keep clean blankets in plastic protectors, so I can duck and cover.
First thing I did was call the police on my $9 land line I keep hooked up incase the electricity goes out, so I have a phone. Non-emergency police said there was no tsunami warning at this point. We all checked on our neighbors; helped assess if there were gas or water leak, according to one amazing radio station that I got on my solar, wind-up, flashlight, battery operated radio. They had a generator running the radio station with an employee with a full tank of gas to siphon if needed. I swear the guy said he was about to take a shower and the earthquake hit, and he ran outside with his dogs naked. Then power lines were popping so he called his dogs to run back inside. That is how scary this earthquake was compared to all the others in the past.
This radio station told us if the dials are spinning around then there is a gas leak. They said to listen for water running thus pipes broken under the house for a water leak; and if either to turn off at the source, fill the bathtub, have water in jugs, and all those things? The public and the police called in with updated info, where downed power lines were, where problems were, where open stores were, to only go for what you need until tomorrow; realize the couple of stores open are cleaning up their own mess, so be patient, and they are not going to let you buy up everything on the shelf; to think of others who will also need basic supplies, as others need to get through for a day too. All these things helped me to cope. I forget the station but sure wish I could thank them.
Just like you all are talking about here, it is so great how everyone helps everyone during these times. Share an extra battery light or batteries. Check on elderly neighbors. If you have a gas stove, cook enough to share with a neighbor who only has electric.
My heart started pounding just reading this well written story of the event. I stuffed my feelings after Haiti, but the fear and helpless feelings all stormed back reading this great story. I know several people who will love me sending them a copy. Great Job.