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LIVE data from my seismometer, updated every 10 minutes. Hit reload to get the latest. Click here for a plot of the past 24 hours, and for the magnitude, location, and distance of quakes detected.
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In 1996 I put together a seismometer from parts I had lying around my garage. Much to my surprise, it actually detects earthquakes! Please have a look at the pages below for information on some of the neat things I have been able to do with it:
- Introduction, description, and photos of my seismometer.
- Detailed Info on some of the quakes I have received. I have examples of big quakes, small quakes, nearby quakes, and quakes halfway around the world.
- Recent earthquakes - Here I try to post thumbnails and PSN format files of recent earthquakes I have recorded. (No longer updated, see below for recent stuff).
- Data derived from observations, specifically the reception range of the seismometer.
- Other Info and Links on seismographs, earthquakes, etc.
- Map of other Amateur Seismologists all over the world. Dave Nelson's list of Amateur Seismologists. I did the html coding of the map! Be sure to check me out!
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Trace of mag 6.3 earthquake 1,250 miles away near Vancouver Island on Oct 6, 1996 |
Here are snapshots of some interesting events, click on the link for a graphic. These are simply archived copies of the live drum plots linked at the top of this page.
- May 31, 2002: Strong microseisms, unknown cause (probably a storm somewhere).
- November 3, 2002: Mag 7.9 earthquake in Denali Park, Alaska.
- January 7, 2003: Windstorm (gusts to 33mph at my house).
- December 22, 2003: Mag 6.5 earthquake in San Simeon, California.
- June 15, 2004: Mag 5.2 earthquake off coast of San Diego. Felt so strong I took cover under the desk.
- September 28, 2004: Mag 6.0 Parkfield earthquake.
- October 9, 2004: Microseisms that turned off... then back on (storm activity?).
- December 26, 2004: Mag 9.0 off Sumatra, Indonesia.
- April 12, 2005: Mag 3.9 just 18 miles away from home, one of the closest ever. (I was travelling and didn't feel it).
- June 12, 2005: Mag 5.6 just 40 miles from home.
- June 14, 2005: This Mag 7.0 off Northern California triggered a genuine tsunami warning for the entire west coast of the USA. The entire town of Crescent City was evacuated, and even down here in San Diego the lifeguards advised people to leave the beaches! No tsunami was generated because of the earthquake's mechanism (a side to side movement that doesn't displace water).
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Trace of mag 7.9 quake 5,900 miles away near Santa Cruz Islands on April 21, 1997 |
Below is a list of all of the earthquakes I have felt in the past few years. The list is incomplete before 1996; only after I built my seismometer have I been keeping track of the little quakes.
- Format: Magnitude, Date: Epicenter. Description (my distance to epicenter).
- Mag 7.3, June 28, 1992: Landers, CA. Woke me up and made me run for the doorway. Also felt quite a few of the larger aftershocks. Later that morning during church I could hear the wood frame of the building creak or shudder whenever there was an aftershock (103 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 6.7, January 17, 1994: Northridge, CA. Felt it from the ninth floor of the Disneyland Hotel, plus lots of aftershocks while at Disneyland. They sure made the rides more interesting! (45 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.8, December 28, 1996: Hemet, CA. I barely felt this earthquake; the ground quivered a little for a few seconds. The quake was widely felt in my area. (65 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.5, June 20, 1997: San Clemente Island, CA. A very weak rolling motion, that lasted only a few seconds. I could also hear some of the stuff on my shelves rattling around (61 miles to epiecenter).
- Mag 4.9, July 25, 1997: Borrego Springs, CA. Ground lurched to the east and then back with less force. This was unusual as earthquakes I have felt before have always gone back and forth at least a few times. (58 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.1, January 23, 1998: Julian, CA. Very slight hint of movement. Made me look over to the seismometer, which did not show anything significant. I was only 22 miles from the epicenter.
- Mag 3.7, June 4, 1998: Palomar Mountain, CA. Heard low rumble for 5-10 sec, followed by slight movement. (31 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 2.5, September 15, 1998: Anza, CA. I find it hard to believe that I could have felt this, but here goes: I was leaning back in my chair (on two legs only, 2nd floor of house) and I felt a *very* slight movement. Checked the seismometer and sure enough, a quake had hit. (35 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.3, March 13, 1999: Ocotillo, CA. Woke up to the sound of a rumble. Few seconds later the bed shook, and something on one of my shelves rattled. (47 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.0, April 7, 1999: Ocotillo, CA. Heard faint rumble, barely felt it. (48 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.1, July 19, 1999: Anza, CA. At work, 2nd floor office building. Felt one or two good rolling motions. (40? miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.0, August 17, 1999: Bolinas, CA. In a San Jose hotel room, watching news coverage of the 7.8 quake in Turkey, when my chair started to wiggle! Lasted only a few seconds. (About 60 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 7.1, October 16, 1999: Hector Mine, CA. Woke me up. Didn't seem like a 7.1 since the shaking didn't last very long, maybe 10-15 seconds? I wonder if I woke up towards the end. Nothing even rattled. (115 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.2, July 7, 2000: Eagle River, Alaska. Felt a soft but chaotic rolling for several seconds. (11 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.1, October 30, 2001: Anza, CA. Awoke to rumbling and moderate shaking that lasted several seconds. Nothing rattled. (40 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.7, February 3, 2002: Julian, CA. Felt sharp jolts then heard a rumbling noise. No rattling. (20 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.2, February 22, 2002: Mexicali, BN. At work on 2nd story of office building, I felt a slow (1-2Hz) rolling that lasted 10-15 seconds. Lots of creaking but no rattling. (112 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.8, March 30, 2002: Mesa Grande, CA. Woke me up but didn't cause any alarm, the shaking was gentle and didn't last long. (15 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.6, October 7, 2003: San Ysidro, CA. At work, the room jiggled for 2-3 seconds, followed by 1-2 seconds of calm, then another jiggle. (25 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.3, June 15, 2004: Off coast of San Diego, CA. At work, felt/heard rumbling for a few seconds then 5-10 seconds of strong rapid swaying and loud rumbling. Took cover under my desk! Building was temporarily evacuated, but no damage. (57 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.9, October 25, 2004: Gilroy, CA. On 6th floor of 15 story hotel, felt 3-4 second jiggle. (36 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 6.0, June 2, 2005, Taiwan. On 14th floor of Hsinchu hotel, shaking lasted perhaps 30 seconds with P and L waves distinct. Floor was felt like it was wobbling 6-8 inches but no damage. (60 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.6, June 12, 2005, Anza, CA. Felt a short sharp jolt that sent a shock through the building. (63 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 4.9, June 16, 2005, Yucaipa, CA. Felt like a soft, gentle, but rapid roller coaster for 5 seconds or so. (80 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 3.5, April 28, 2007, Julian CA. Sharp jolt/rattle followed by a wiggle. (34 miles to epicenter).
- Mag 5.6, September 3, 2016, Pawnee, OK. Woke up to rattling that lasted 20-30 seconds. (240 miles to epicenter). First quake felt since moving to Missouri in 2007.
Some statistics (based on data above, as of 2007):
- Longest time between felt quakes: 681 days (June 16, 2005 to April 28, 2007).
- Shortest time between felt non-aftershock quakes: 4 days (June 12, 2005 to June 16, 2005).
- Closest to epicenter: 11 miles (July 7, 2000).
- Farthest from epicenter: 115 miles (October 16, 1999).
- Weakest magnitude felt: 2.5 (September 15, 1998).
- Strongest magnitude felt: 7.3 (June 28, 1992).
- Worst damage sustained: none, never had damage in 28 years of living in California.
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Trace of mag 2.4 earthquake 10 miles away in La Jolla, California on June 12, 1997 |
Please take a peek at my home page for more cool stuff.
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All text and images are © 1996-2007 Manfred Bruenjes - All Rights Reserved. Image inlining is strictly prohibited. Email for permission before using an image or text.