The Earth moves. How are we still not used to this? After all this time living on the planet we struggle to cope with this fact. In San Diego, I felt the outer ripples of a 7.2 earthquake that started in Mexicali. The movement was in long waves and though everything in the house was shaken, I was not. My brain understood what was happening and because the nature of the movement was not violent- jarring, I should say, there was no need to panic. I figured this event was halfway common when one is out near fault-lines. Was I too ignorant? The people who were around for the Northridge quake were on a higher alert. But to me that is ignorance. They should have been able to feel the difference in earth movements and know instantly that it was 'safe.' The only cause for concern was the length of time it went on. More would break the longer it went. Even then, quakes are short lived. By nature. I could compare the feel to waiting for the F or JMZ trains where the platforms are high above ground and they sway terribly when a train comes. All of NYC shimmies! The buildings sway and vibrate constantly! And the San Diegans were 'shaken' by a single event?! I know sudden geological changes don't occur there everyday, yet I expected the locals to shrug at it. They did only after all the reports came in.
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