5.9 Virginia Earthquake on the heels of an otherwise quiet release of a Survey saying great Natural Gas amounts recoverable from Appalachian Mountains

Initial reports on August 23, 2011 stated that there was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far away as chicago, Illinois to Toronto, Canada to Portland, Maine to Atlanta, Georgia in initial reports

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/earthquake-rattles-washington-east-coast/2011/08/23/gIQAdypEZJ_blog.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/23/us-quake-usa-idUSTRE77M67120110823

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/08/23/east-coast-quake-reportedly-felt-in-chicago/

Prior to the Earthquake, the Stock Market was slumping.  But immediately after the quake, the Stock Market rebounded into gains and posted a 300 point increase for the day.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-23/asian-stocks-climb-as-copper-gold-advance-on-speculation-of-fed-stimulus.html

Foxnews reported that the 5.9 quake came in 2 waves, a 5 second jolt, followed by a 30 second shaking. 
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/08/23/dispatches-earthquake-shakes-capital

2:02 p.m. -- Capitol rumbling seemed to come in 2 waves. Shook first for about 5 seconds. Then intensified...shaking the entire Capitol. Longest shake was probably close to 30 seconds.

Chandliers swinging in Capitol. Some small art off walls.

-- Chad Pergram

And one report citing Foxnews Megyn Kelly stated that there was concern about the Washington Monument tilting:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/aug/23/picket-fnc-reports-washington-monument-may-be-tilt/

Updated video: Cracks in Washington Monument will close  the site to public tours -

There is NO NEED TO PANIC.   As much as we could love to blame it SOLELY on the "America, we more and more find that we don't give a sh*t about the Constitution leaders" of Obama and His Administration and Congress, Earthquakes (though infrequent) are a natural happening the world over, even in Virginia.

The Unites States Geological Survey (USGS) reports:

EARTHQUAKES IN THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SEISMIC ZONE

Since at least 1774, people in central Virginia have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones. The largest damaging earthquake (magnitude 4.8) in the seismic zone occurred in 1875. Smaller earthquakes that cause little or no damage are felt each year or two.

Earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S., although less frequent than in the western U.S., are typically felt over a much broader region. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi).

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/virginia/history.php

Earthquake History

On February 21, 1774, a strong earthquake was felt over much of Virginia and southward into North Carolina. Many houses were moved considerably off their foundations at Petersburg and Blandford (intensity MM VII). The shock was described as "severe" at Richmond and "small" at Fredericksburg. However, it "terrified the inhabitants greatly." The total felt area covered about 150,000 square kilometers.

The three great earthquakes near New Madrid, Missouri, in 1811 - 1812 (December 11, January 23, and February 7) were felt strongly in Virginia. Reports from Norfolk and Richmond newspapers describe the effects in detail.

An earthquake, apparently centered in southwestern Virginia, on March 9, 1828, was reported felt over an area of about 565,000 square kilometers, from Pennsylvania to South Carolina and the Atlantic Coastal Plain to Ohio. Very few accounts of the shock were available from places in Virginia; it was reported that doors and windows rattled (MM V). President John Quincy Adams felt this tremor in Washington D.C., and provided a graphic account in his diary. He compared the sensation to the heaving of a ship at sea.

The August 27, 1833, earthquake covered a broad felt area from Norfolk to Lexington and from Baltimore, Maryland, to Raleigh, North Carolina - about 135,000 square kilometers. Two miners were killed in the panic the shock caused at Brown's Coal Pits, near Dover Mills, about 30 kilometers from Richmond. At Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, and Norfold, windows rattled violently, loose objects shook, and walls of buildings were visibly agitated (MM V).

Another moderately strong, widely felt shock occurred on April 29, 1852. At Buckingham and Wytheville, chimneys were damaged (MM VI). The felt area extended to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and also included many points in North Carolina - approximately 420,000 square kilometers. This pattern was repeated on August 31, 1861. The epicenter was probably in extreme southwestern Virginia or western North Carolina. At Wilkesboro, North Carolina, bricks were shaken from chimneys (MM VI). The lack of Virginia reports may perhaps be ascribed to the fact that the Civil War was under way and there was rather heavy fighting in Virginia at the time. This shock affected about 775,000 square kilometers and was felt along the Atlantic coast from Washington, D.C., to Charleston, South Carolina, and westward to Cincinnati, Louisville, and Gallatin, Tennessee, and southwestward to Columbus, Georgia.

A series of shocks in quick succession disturbed the eastern two-thirds of Virginia and a portion of North Carolina on December 22, 1875. At Manakin, many chimneys were broken and shingles on one store were shaken off (MM VII). Damage to chimneys was reported from other places in Goochland and Powhatan Counties. At Richmond, the shock, which was accompanied by a rumbling noise, was severe and lasted from 20 to 30 seconds; plaster fell and several panes of window glass broke. There was general alarm in all parts of the city; many people ran out of their houses in fright. The total felt area was about 130,000 square kilometers.

The largest earthquake to originate in Virginia is historic times occurred on May 31, 1897. The epicenter was in Giles County, where on May 3, an earlier tremor at Pulaski, Radford, and Roanoke had caused damage (MM VI). Loud rumblings were heard in the epicentral region at various times between May 3 and 31. The shock on the latter date was felt from Georgia to Pennsylvania and from the Atlantic Coast westward to Indiana and Kentucky, an area covering about 725,000 square kilometers. It was especially strong at Pearisburg, where the walls of old brick houses were cracked and bricks were thrown from chimney tops. Springs were muddied and a few earth fissures appeared (MM VIII). Chimneys were shaken down at Bedford City, Houston, Pulaski, Radford, and Roanoke. Chimneys were also broken at Raleigh, North Carolina, Bristol and Knoxville, Tennessee, and Bluefied, West Virginia. Minor tremors continued in the epicentral region from time to time until June 6; other disturbances felt on June 28, September 3, and October 21 were probably aftershocks. On February 5, 1898, the residents of Pulaski reported additional chimney damage (MM VI). People rushed into the streets at Pulsaki and East Radford.

An earthquake on February 11, 1907, caused minor damage at Arvonia, Ashby, and Buckingham. At Arvonia, many people became terrified and ran from their houses (MM VI); although no damage was reported from Columbia, many ran from their homes. The felt area was small, approximately 14,500 square kilometers. Other shocks of lesser intensity occurred in the same area on August 23, 1908, and May 8, 1910.

The Shenadoah Valley region was strongly shaken by an earthquake on April 9, 1918. It was called the "most severe earthquake ever experienced" at Luray. Although little damage resulted, people in many places over the northern valley region were greatly alarmed and rushed from their houses (MM VI). Broken windows were reported at Washington, D.C. The tremor was noticed by President Wilson and his family at the White House; the President's secretary called a newspaper office to learn the cause of the terrifying noise. The felt area extended over 155,000 square kilometers, including parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Another shock on September 5, 1919, was felt in the same general region, although the total affected area was much smaller. It was strongest in the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Front Royal. At Arco, plaster fell and some chimneys were damaged (MM VI). Springs and streams were muddied in the epicentral area.

On December 26, 1929, a moderate shock at Charlottesville shook bricks from a few chineys (MM VI). It was reported felt in various parts of Albemarle County. A number of newspaper accounts gave the date of this earthquake as December 25. Giles County was strongly shaken again on April 23, 1959. At Eggleston and Pembroke, several chimneys were damaged, plaster cracked, and pictures fell from walls (MM VI). A wide area (about 7,500 square kilometers) of southwestern Virginia felt the tremor; a few places in West Virginia also reported the shock.

Abridged from

Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 9, Number 6, November - December 1977, by Carl A. von Hake.

The USGS also released a history of Earthquake dates at:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/historical.php/

Noting just the East of the Mississippi River US and Canada Earthquakes, we see that there were only

2 noted in the 1600s, 7 in the 1700s, 6 in the 1800s, some 32 in the 20th century (the USGS missing 2 or 3 we in NJ and NY experienced between 1978-1980), and then there are some 15 now in the just the last 11 years to mark the beginning of the 20th century. 

All earthquake dates are UTC, not local time.

East of the Mississippi River US and Canada Earthquakes

Year - Month-Day   ...  Location  ...  R Scale Magnitude or estimated Magnitude

  

2011 08 23  - Mineral, Virginia   - M 5.9

• 2009 02 03 - New Jersey - M 3.0

• 2008 04 18 - Illinois - M 5.4

• 2006 10 02 - Maine - M 3.8

• 2006 01 02 - Illinois - M 3.6

• 2005 03 06 - St. Lawrence Valley Reg., Quebec, Canada - M 4.9

• 2004 09 17 - Eastern Kentucky - M 3.7

• 2004 08 19 - Alabama - M 3.6

• 2004 06 28 - Illinois - M 4.2

• 2003 12 09 - Virginia - M 4.5

• 2003 08 26 - New Jersey - M 3.8

• 2003 05 05 - Virginia - M 3.9

• 2003 04 29 - Alabama - M 4.6

• 2002 12 25 - Redford, New York - M 3.3

• 2002 04 20 - Au Sable Forks, New York - M 5.1

•

• 1998 09 25 - Pennsylvania - M 5.2

• 1994 01 16 - Pennsylvania - M 4.6

• 1990 01 13 - Maryland - M 2.5

• 1989 12 25 - Ungava, Quebec, Canada - M 6.0

• 1988 11 25 - Saguenay, Quebec, Canada - M 5.9

• 1987 06 10 - Near Olney, Illinois - M 5.1

• 1986 01 31 - Northeast Ohio - M 5.0

• 1984 04 23 - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - M 4.4

• 1983 10 07 - Blue Mountain Lake, New York - M 5.3

• 1980 07 27 - Maysville, Kentucky - M 5.2

(USGS missing / not including

NJ / NY fault-line quakes between 1978-1980.

At least 2 or 3 at or near 2.9 to 3.1)

• 1969 11 20 - Southern West Virginia - M 4.5

• 1968 11 09 - Southern Illinois - M 5.4

• 1962 04 10 - Vermont - M 4.2

• 1949 08 22 - Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada - M 8.1

• 1947 08 10 - Southern Michigan - M 4.6

• 1947 05 06 - Wisconsin

• 1946 06 23 - Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada - M 7.3

• 1940 12 24 - Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire - M 5.5

• 1940 12 20 - Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire - M 5.5

• 1937 03 09 - Western Ohio - M 5.4

• 1935 11 01 - Timiskaming, Quebec, Canada - M 6.2

• 1931 12 17 - Charleston, Mississippi - M 4.6

• 1930 10 19 - Napoleonville, Louisiana - M 4.2

• 1929 11 18 - Grand Banks, Nova Scotia, Canada - M 7.3

• 1928 11 03 - Eastern Tennessee - M 4.5

• 1916 10 18 - Irondale, Alabama - M 5.1

• 1916 02 21 - Waynesville, North Carolina - M 5.2

• 1904 03 21 - Southeast Maine - M 5.1

• 1901 05 17 - Near Portsmouth, Ohio - M 4.2

•

• 1897 05 31 - Giles County, Virginia - M 5.9

• 1886 09 01 - Charleston, South Carolina - M 7.3 Fatalities 60

• 1884 08 10 - New York City, New York - M 5.5

• 1871 10 09 - New Jersey - Delaware border

• 1871 10 09 - New Jersey - Delaware border

• 1865 08 17 - Memphis, Tennessee - M 5.0

•

• 1791 05 16 - Moodus, Connecticut

• 1783 11 30 - New Jersey - M 5.3

• 1780 02 06 - Northwest Florida

• 1755 11 18 - Cape Ann, Massachusetts

• 1744 06 14 - Southern Cape Ann, Massachusetts region

• 1727 11 10 - Northern Cape Ann region, Massachusetts

• 1700 01 26 - Cascadia Subduction Zone - M 9.0

•

• 1663 02 05 - St. Lawrence Valley region, Quebec, Canada - M 7.0

• 1638 06 11 - St. Lawrence region

Of an interest about this maginitude (M) 5.9 August 23, 2011 earthquake, is that by going to the USGS for information, it alerted me to some good news that I and others might not otherwise have been immediately alerted to.

Just prior to the August 23, 2011 Earthquake, which rocked both Washington D.C. and New York City, the USGS (US Geological Survey) released this report about a massive natural gas find in the Appalachain Mountains of the East Coast:

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2893&from=rss_home

USGS Releases New Assessment of Gas Resources in the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin

Released: 8/23/2011 11:30:00 AM

Contact Information:

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

Office of Communications and Publishing

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, MS 119

Reston, VA 20192

The Marcellus Shale contains about 84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas and 3.4 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas liquids according to a new assessment by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS).

These gas estimates are significantly more than the last USGS assessment of the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin in 2002, which estimated a mean of about 2 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCF) and 0.01 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

The increase in undiscovered, technically recoverable resource is due to new geologic information and engineering data, as technological developments in producing unconventional resources have been significant in the last decade. This Marcellus Shale estimate is of unconventional (or continuous-type) gas resources.

Since the 1930's, almost every well drilled through the Marcellus found noticeable quantities of natural gas. However, in late 2004, the Marcellus was recognized as a potential reservoir rock, instead of just a regional source rock, meaning that the gas could be produced from it instead of just being a source for the gas. Technological improvements resulted in commercially viable gas production and the rapid development of a major, new continuous natural gas and natural gas liquids play in the Appalachian Basin, the oldest producing petroleum province in the United States.

This USGS assessment is an estimate of continuous gas and natural gas liquid accumulations in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin. The estimate of undiscovered natural gas ranges from 43.0 to 144.1 TCF (95 percent to 5 percent probability, respectively), and the estimate of natural gas liquids ranges from 1.6 to 6.2 billion barrels (95 percent to 5 percent probability, respectively). There are no conventional petroleum resources assessed in the Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin.

These new estimates are for technically recoverable oil and gas resources, which are those quantities of oil and gas producible using currently available technology and industry practices, regardless of economic or accessibility considerations. As such, these estimates include resources beneath both onshore and offshore areas (such as Lake Erie) and beneath areas where accessibility may be limited by policy and regulations imposed by land managers and regulatory agencies.

The Marcellus Shale assessment covered areas in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

USGS is the only provider of publicly available estimates of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources of onshore lands and offshore state waters. The USGS worked with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, the Ohio Geological Survey, and representatives from the oil and gas industry and academia to develop an improved geologic understanding of the Marcellus Shale. The USGS Marcellus Shale assessment was undertaken as part of a nationwide project assessing domestic petroleum basins using standardized methodology and protocol.

The new assessment of the Marcellus Shale may be found online. The previous Marcellus Shale assessment can be found online. To find out more about USGS energy assessments and other energy research, please visit the USGS Energy Resources Program website

This brings to mind, the Independent Petroleum Association of America.  We not only need a major refinery added on each of our coastlines, but we also need to incentivize a growth in the Natural Gas Drilling Industry.  Right now, we have more than 18,000 American Independent drillers and contractors, and we need to get into the Industry and supply America's needs by drilling here and drilling now. 

What we don't need is an intentional political anarchist in this illegal and putative President Obama (a man who not only is NOT a Constitutionally required US Natural Born Citizen, neither he or his lawyers can produce one acceptable document to even prove he was born here into A COURT OF LAW...because they refuse to perjure themselves; i.e., they refuse to lie to the court by submitting his known fabricated Birth Records, because he has no real or original ones to prove a US birth).  

Obama is he, who by nature and evil character as one who is entirely evil and corrupt (cf. Greek "Kakos),   who must by the essence of his very nature and character --

-  hinder the economy,

-- starts his own private wars to institute Sharia  Islamic Fascistic Governments,

--  mis-spend and mis-appropriate staggering mountains of debt never before dreamed any politician could because he and his apologist chronically and almost without fail cite the color of his skin and cry rape/racism so as to deflect any and all demand for accountablity,

--  use disasters (man-made or otherwise) to use the Federal Government to hinder problem solving and who uses his political muscle to shut down an industry and drive away the oil business from there so as to intentionally wreck their economy, like the disaster BP Oil Rig disaster he intentonally exacerbated in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, using disaster not as a means to demonstrate leadership and problem solving, but as opportunities to carry out and execute political grudges on anyone or any group of people who are not either Socialist or Communist members of the Democratic Party...especially if the larger segment of them are white, and stereo-typed as hated by ideological terrorist aligned special interest groups (such as the Muslim Brotherhood by charter, even though hundreds of them are EMPLOYED by Obama in the West Wing and elsewhere in his Administration) or "politically acceptable" racist hate-groups (like the Black Caucus is by the nature of the majority of it members).      

Oh, did I say we shouldn't blame Obama?  Considering the ABOVE and how that if Congress and Obama refuse to follow the US Constitution and live as if oblivious to Articles 1.7, 1.8, 2.1, 5 etc., embrace Islam and habitually persecute or deny Fundamentalist Christianity while pushing abominations / evil as good and calling the good as evil,  refusing to heed the constituent majorities who contact Congress (including the TEA Party and those who demand fiscal accountability), attempting to rewrite or reinvent history in order to remove the GOD who founded the United States of America, the GOD of Israel, and replace it with a Satanic State religion of Islam and itsown self-described Deceiver for a Deity, Allah (aka. Lucifer, Satan, the Devil)...since I did say we shouldn't blame Obama, maybe I should rephrase that and  take it back.  Yes, maybe you can in some small part blame Obama also.  But don't forget to include those evil men and women who enable him to be and stay in power, people from both Political Parties and without excuse...who will rather damn their own souls to Hell, and willingly go there for the sake of loving lies and making feeble excuses, and whose fruits appear to at least enable the ruination of as many other souls as they of their own free will and utterances can deceive and take with them to damnation also.  

  Perhaps because America has collectively strayed from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, perhaps that is more of a cause and effect to get the rotten and untrust-worthy leaders who scheme and abuse in DC.  Therefore, we all share some of the blame at least collectively as a people and as a nation.  But contrary to those who claim to be Christians and those that are, if the leaders or their specific enablers and promoters are evil and in need of repentance to believe into Christ, perhaps we ought not to so easily excuse them so much under the pretense of "love",  and call them into account for the good of their own souls and the nation.  Let them know that they are sinners in great wickedness, that perhaps under the spirit of conviction, they might repent of their sins, and convert, and do good and justly, and be born again entering into eternal life themselves by believing into Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD, that they need not perish twice (the loss of the body, and then the forever action of damnation of the soul) whenever life ends for them.

LUKE 19:

37 And when He {JESUS }was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the LORD: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

May America remember its one TRUE GOD in and through Christ Jesus,

http://supreme.justia.com/us/143/457/case.html

and return to Jesus Christ the LORD, and be saved. 
(John 3:15-16 and Romans 10:9-10,13.)
Amen.