When The Ground Begins To Move

I'm sure the last thing on anyone's mind in the eastern United States was the possibility of experiencing a moderate earthquake.  Yet, suddenly, there it was.  In a matter of a few seconds all worries about where the major hurricane churning out in the Atlantic might hit were completely erased.

The sensation of the ground moving under your feet is quite unsettling.  I know, for I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and as mountains go they are considered still young and are seismically active.  Not too long after I moved up here we experienced a 6.0 quake that struck in the middle of the night.  When it hit I tried to jump out of bed but I couldn't stand up because the floor was shaking to much.  All I could do was hold on the the bed and hope for the best.  It was over in 10-15 seconds but it seemed a lot longer at the time.  We lived in a mobile home at the time and I never dreamed one of them could rattle and creak like it did and stay in one piece.

I've been through others since that time and the one sure thing I've learned about earthquakes is that you're never really ready for one.  No matter what the folks on the California coast may say or how much they laugh at those of you back east or me up in these mountains, when the solid ground beneath your feet begins to vibrate, shake, and move, normal reality quickly goes out the window to be replaced by something akin the the "Twilight Zone".