The biggest quake you've experienced?

I'm curious to know, for those of us living in earthquake prone areas, what's the highest magnitude quake you've experienced?

The highest I've had was a 7.3 in Tokyo and it was probably the only time I thought "oh crap, this is a bad one"...I had felt a bunch before since it's so common here, but the 7.3 was more jolting, and went on for longer.

I wasn't living here for the 2011 quake but I can't imagine how that must have felt. Friends I have made here now said they literally struggled to get their shoes on and out of their homes because it was that violent in terms of the shaking.

 

As I had posted in another thread, the earthquake that hit Manila in 1990 was so strong that it scared the hell out of us. Fortunately, the buildings were able to withstand the strong tremor because according to the seismologist, the quake did not last long. But 300 kilometers away from Manila, some buildings were devastated and countless of casualties were recorded in the summer capital of Baguio City - a tourist haven for foreigners and locals as well. You can imagine the damage to that place because of the big crowd.

 

Corzhens, I just looked up the quake you mentioned online, and saw pictures of the impact in Baguio City - it looks like it was very, very severe. I never knew that the Philippines was quake prone until now - how often would you say you get earthquakes there? (even if they are relatively minor ones?) I'm curious now.

 

I have slept through two in the 4. somethings!

 

I moved to CA 22 years ago from Maine, after retiring from the Navy. When I first moved out here, I jumped at every tremor, but now I can tell how strong the tremor is. I keep my kit in the hall closet right by the front door. And while my kit is in a backpack, the backpack sits in an oversized bag along with a full change of clothes and a spare pair of boots. This is that even if I am buck naked in the shower, I can grab my bag and run out the door. I can get dressed once I'm in a safe area.

 

I've been in two earthquakes in zones that don't have earthquakes. ( scientists said once)
N.E. Ohio a 5.5 and it wasn't much but it was felt, no damage.
N. Carolina a 6.1 that jiggled water in a glass and that one was felt and instantly recognizable.
Little to no damage where I was on an island off the coast.
I don't want no mo'.

 

I luckily have not experience an earthquake due to where I live. Not many natural disasters hit Australia and they are even rarer in the city I live in which is Sydney. I hear about earthquakes on the news quite a lot and I wonder what it's like to experience one. If you're scared of being hit by an earthquake Australia is the place to be!

 

The only one I ever felt was so bizarre. I was still laid in my bed in the morning and I suddenly felt weird, hard to explain, sort of like everything was moving? but I first though I feel dizzy or something... then my partner called me and said there was an earthquake. It was 4,9. We get them sometimes but they're small ones, 0.5-2, so you can't really feel them.

 

Ohio quakes.
Nothing like Kalifornication has. Or Alaska.

The largest earthquake in this zone occurred on January 31, 1986 in southern Lake County. This 5.0-magnitude event was felt throughout multiple states and caused minor to moderate damage. A 4.5-magnitude earthquake at Ashtabula in 2001 caused minor damage. An extensive linear feature in deep Precambrian rocks, known as the Akron Magnetic Boundary, is thought to be responsible for some of these earthquakes. The causes of earthquakes in this region are poorly understood at present.

 

I worked down in California for a spell on an assignment and we had a number. I don't, offhand, recall the magnitude. One I remember I was in the office complex with another programmer. I went into a back supply room to pick up some equipment when it hit and stuff was flying off the shelfs. The other gent yelled from his station something like "get the hell out of there!", which I did in short order.

 

I have experienced many small tremors but only once that I have felt a sizeable quake. It was between 5 and six on the scale and it lasted for about 12 seconds which seemed to be an eternity. Thanks be to God that there was only some very minor damage to structures in the vicinity of the quake.

 

I was in grade 5 and inside our classroom when the 7.8 magnitude of earthquake hit our place. We were all shocked and my teacher told us to go outside our room and building to be safe. We go to an empty ground outside our school building.

 

Hi, I'm from the Philippines too, and I was in school when that 7.2 earthquake hit Manila! The quake lasted about 40 seconds, but damage in Manila was not so bad, but buildings near the epicenter collapsed, including a Hyatt hotel in Baguio. Apparently, a few hundred people died...

 

As it turns out, it happens quite frequently. A 6.5 quake hit down south less than a week ago. I think about 3 people died and a really old building and a few houses collapsed. We in Manila are preparing for 'THE BIG ONE'...

 

I think it was 2001, when one earthquake pretty much destroyed the city near me. It was morning time. And the quake was so big that many families were dead inside the building. And that has made it to the news. And during that time I was around 15 years or so. So quake is something we all have to watch out for. It can come at any time and often we can't do anything about it.

 

I live in California so I've experienced a bunch of small quakes.

However, I think the largest one was the Easter quake in 2012 or 2013. The pool in the backyard of my house started splashing water out and some bricks fell from our chimney. Still not a 'big' quake, but scary all the same.

 

The 2011 earthquake that struck the East Coast was centered in this county. I think it was a 6.2. The aftershocks seemed like they were worse than the original quake. They were very frightening. I know one took place when we were in bed, and it was terrifying since we felt helpless.

 

The most tremendous quake I have ever experience was on 1994 where the center was on northern part of the country. This year onward is gonna be the " Big One" when everybody is alerted and will be surprised how vast it would be, we don't even know where would it start to hit the country.

 

I guess the intensity of earthquake I experienced while living in Manila is nothing compared to what those in Bohol and Cebu experienced last year. I heard that was really quite traumatic for them. I discovered a blog though that lists the history of these strong earthquakes in the Philippines and that many are preparing for the Big One. Small wonder this is creating some trepidation among its populace as the Philippines is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire. Recently, there had been a series of earthquakes that happened practically every other month, the frequency of which we never experienced before. It would be good to revisit the tall structures made of stainless steel that have withstood these strong tremors and how they still stand after many centuries.

 

I have been through several earthquakes most of which have been in the 5's. I think the largest one was 5.5. One felt like a car had hit the house; one large jolt, and a thump. In one my desk chair at work was vibrating for maybe 15 - 30 seconds. All have been more of a novelty than a threat.

Still something we take very seriously. We have a two story house with a full basement. We have preps on all three levels. We can turn utilities off very quickly. Preps that are kept in the garage are near an exterior wall, so if we needed to break through we would know where to start. Water heater is immobilized. If this thing broke loose once before and rang church bells in Boston, and made the Mississippi River run backwards, it could ruin your day for sure.

 

This is the only one I know of I ever felt at all:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake

I was sitting in my sun room and was watching a plant on a stand rocking back and forth.

What makes it remarkable is I'm 180 miles from the epicenter.

 

I was raised on the coast. We might get blown away or drown but mud doesn't wiggle very much.

 

7.0 Alaska

 

Where I love, we luckily do not experience earthquakes and if yes, then only very weak.

But in 2016, I was in the Ural region near Ekaterinburg and I was woken up by a rattle from the kitchen, feeling dizzy. I did not understand the feeling actually, had no idea that it might be an earthquake. It stopped after some 20 seconds so I slept again and understood only in the morning from the news. It was some 5.2.

 

I lived in Alaska when the 9.2 Good Friday Quake hit. I was a teen. I slept through it. In the last three years I've ridden out a 7.0 and a 7.1.

 

5.1 Washington, not much but cracked the ceiling, 1993.

 

Scale of magnitude (Richter scale) shouldn't be use in conjunction with the how strong the quake was felt. Richter Scale merely tell the energy release of a quake at it source, but even a 9+ RS quake could do little damage if its happen at far away place or too deep to cause any damage to the surface. Instead Scale of Intensity (Modified Mercalli intensity scale) should be use in this context.

The strongest earthquake I had experience was the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. The earthquake intensity was at IX MMI (Violent) Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations. Liquefaction.

The death toll at the time was estimated to be over 5700 death. I was lucky to be alive and no tsunami was triggered.