Earthquake Off the Coast of Florida
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121026)
Gainesville, Florida
July 17, 2016 6:50pm CST
Although very rare, earthquakes have been known to happen from time to time around Florida. In a state known for sunshine on the positive side, and hurricanes on the negative side, it came as a surprise to many yesterday when a 3.7 magnitude quake occurred about 100 miles east of Daytona Beach. The center of the quake was out in the Atlantic Ocean, about three miles under the surface. The shaking could not be felt on land, and no tsunami warnings were issued. And although very rare, this is the second earthquake near Florida in the past two months.
About a decade ago, there was an earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida that was strong enough to be felt even in inland areas of the state. I recall feeling a very brief and slight shaking during the time it happened, although it was nothing to worry about or fear (most people who said they felt the tremor said it felt like the vibration of a passing large truck).
Aside from all our California friends, have any of you experienced an earthquake in places where there aren't supposed to be earthquakes?
7 people like this
7 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
18 Jul 16
@moffittjc A rogue wave sounds like a feeble excuse for not having been prepared.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121026)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jul 16
Well, since it was three miles underground, I still think that qualifies it as an earthquake! Especially since no tsunami developed as a result! Maybe if there would have been a tsunami, then we could have qualified it as a waterquake!
Interestingly, back in the early 90's, I was at the beach in Daytona when a small tsunami came ashore. In Daytona Beach, you can drive your vehicle down on the beach, and so when it hit, a lot of cars on the beach got damaged. But other than that, there wasn't much other damage, since the tidal wave was small in nature. It came completely unannounced, and caught scientists completely off guard. At first they called it a rogue wave, but realized later that there had been a big mudslide in the ocean off the continental shelf, and that is what caused the small tsunami. Now, in that instance, I would label that as a waterquake!
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Jul 16
It's the earth that quakes, the water splashes.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121026)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jul 16
Is it typical to get quakes in Western Australia? In Florida, there maybe have been five earthquakes recorded since they started keeping records.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121026)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Jul 16
@JudyEv Well, as long as they are small earthquakes, then there shouldn't be too much to worry about! It's when Mother Nature throws a curveball at us and hits us with the "big one" that we really need to start worrying!
@JudyEv (335501)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Jul 16
@moffittjc I'd be guessing but I'd say maybe one or two small ones each year.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121026)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jul 16
It was pretty shallow (only 3 miles down), and pretty close to the coast (100 miles), so I'm surprised that there were no earth movements felt on beaches around Daytona.
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Jul 16
I saw the news of your quake online. I poked fun at you guys in a post. The only earthquake that scared me at all was the one just before the big Northridge quake that brought down freeway overpasses. For that one I was in a two story house. It was serious, but not scary.
For the earlier one, I was on the seventh floor of my condo building. I sat in the hall with my back to the wall, while the building slide one way, strained under the pressure (making an awful groaning sound) and swung back the other way. I would have been frightened, but my two male neighbors next door were screaming like little girls, and I was too busy laughing my butt off to be scared.
@just4him (317036)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
18 Jul 16
We don't get earthquakes in Wisconsin. I used to live in California and was surprised the first time I felt one, but became used to the slight tremors. I also lived on Guam where they happen on occasion.
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
12 Sep 16
@moffittjc I've never experienced being in an Earthquake before but there seems to be a lot going on lately.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121026)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Sep 16
I experienced being in a very small earthquake one time when I was out in California. It was so small that most Californians didn't even notice it, but I thought the world was ending, since it was the first quake I had ever experienced! I'm pretty sure I don't want to live in a place that has lots of earthquakes! Of course, a lot of people say that about living in Florida because of the hurricanes, but I'll take my chances with a hurricane any day over an earthquake!
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19639)
• United States
18 Jul 16
We had a small one a few years ago when the earthquake hit DC and it trickled down to NC. I didn't know there had been two earthquakes near FL.
