No major
earthquake
disaster
in a
long time.
So no one cares.
But there were
more than
1,200 earthquakes
in the United States
in seven days,
most in California.
CALIFORNIA:
There was a swarm
of earthquakes
on Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day,
after quakes rattled
the Ridgecrest area
on the prior Thursday
and Friday.
At least nine
earthquakes
in 24 hours,
reaching up to
3.2 magnitude,
shook California
from the
Los Angeles area
north to Chico,
the U.S. Geological
Survey reports.
These happened
five months
after the biggest
earthquake
in two decades.
A swarm of
smaller quakes
rattled a secret
Navy base in the
Mojave Desert
Thursday afternoon,
and before dawn
on Friday,
according to the
US Geological Survey.
Five quakes
with magnitudes
over 2.5 struck
Naval Air Weapons
Station China Lake
between 3 p.m.
Thursday and
3.30 a.m. Friday
in Ridgecrest, CA.
That same area had two
large earthquakes that made
national headlines last July
( preceded by a series
of alarming foreshocks ).
VANCOUVER
There were no reports
of damage or injuries
after five earthquakes
struck within seven hours
off the northwest end
of Vancouver Island
on the Monday
before Christmas.
They began
as minor quakes,
but grew stronger
as the morning
turned to afternoon.
According
to the CBC,
those five
large earthquakes
ranged in size from
magnitude 4.8
to magnitude 6.0:
5.1 (8:44 a.m. PT).
5.6 (11:13 a.m.).
5.8 (11:49 a.m.).
6.0 (12:56 p.m.).
4.8 (3:38 p.m.).
There were more
than 30 significant
earthquakes over
last 30 days,
in the vicinity
of Mt. Rainier.
SEATTLE:
On Friday,
before Christmas,
Seattle experienced
“its darkest day
in recorded history”,
due to several factors,
including shorter days
and dense cloud coverage.
Pyranometers
are devices installed
in buildings
on campus at the
University of Washington
that help scientists gauge
just how dark the days
actually get in the city.
Scientists there monitor
how much solar radiation
reaches the ground
during a 24-hour span.