this is interesting (earthquake related)

vtunderground

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I help maintain a network of stream gages and groundwater wells for the Commonwealth of VA and the USGS... While looking through our data today, I came across this:

quake1.gif


It's from a groundwater well in Christiansburg, VA. As you can see, there's a pretty substantial jump in the ground water level that seems to coincide with the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Sumatra. There is also a smaller blip on the 23rd that seems to coincide with the magnitude 8.1 earthquake reported near Australia. We've detected local earthquakes before, but nothing this far away. A few of our other groundwater wells also had blips or jumps at the same time as the Sumatra quake, but only in 10ths of a foot, not several feet like this!

Are there any geologists here? I'm wondering how an earthquake on the other side of the world had such an effect on groundwater levels here. Also, would the seismic waves travel around the Earth, or through it?
 

Rothrandir

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would it be possible that part of the something that caused the waves over in asia also had caused some effect in your area?
 

watt4

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the shock wave went through the entire earth.

it didn't move the water level 1.5 feet in Virginia, the equipment just reacted to a pressure wave.
 

vtunderground

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[ QUOTE ]
watt4 said:
it didn't move the water level 1.5 feet in Virginia, the equipment just reacted to a pressure wave.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, this is something I've been trying to figure out... I'll have to check tomorrow to find out what equipment we have in that particular well, and if it could be fooled by a pressure wave like that. That makes more sense than a change in the water level.
 

cobb

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As one who listens to art bell, I am surprised no one brought it up. THey say several days before an earthquake pets go missing.

I too wonder about the water levels varying like that, if they did. Man.

Oh a side note, anyone pay any attention to what is going on at ole yellow stone park? I hear from truck drivers they got that area roped off and they have plenty of trucks around it measuring stuff.
 

vtunderground

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Well I did some checking today, and verfied that the groundwater level at this location was actually moving up and down. According to the USGS this isn't unusual. Pretty crazy, isn't it?
 

Rothrandir

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cobb, i've heard a bit about that too.

that one goes and half the continent.........
 

kakster

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[ QUOTE ]
cobb said:

Oh a side note, anyone pay any attention to what is going on at ole yellow stone park? I hear from truck drivers they got that area roped off and they have plenty of trucks around it measuring stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess they are worried that the recent quake might trigger the supervolcano that lies underneath most of the park.

http://www.solcomhouse.com/yellowstone.htm
 

tvodrd

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The long-awaited-overdue Parkfield, CA quake is being watched for intently. Among the instrumentation is a bunch of ground water level instruments. Some observations have sort of shown that a sudden ground water level change may may be a precursor to a quake. I've heard they're watching pets too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Larry
 

Rothrandir

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clack, there have been indications since long before the recent quake that suggest that yellowstone isn't exactly innactive. reports of bad sulpher smells and bulging areas were reported by many, as well as animal migration and other things.
 

McGizmo

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It's not a question of if; merely when. Selfishly, I hope it's not on my watch! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif
 

ledlurker

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[ QUOTE ]
Rothrandir said:
clack, there have been indications since long before the recent quake that suggest that yellowstone isn't exactly innactive. reports of bad sulpher smells and bulging areas were reported by many, as well as animal migration and other things.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was about a mile away when the Steamboat Geyser went off in May 2000. You would have thought the world was ending. We were sleeping in our car for a couple of hours on a off road after a long drive to get to the park. By time we got our stuff together and drove there the water phase was over and only the steam phase was going. We had some geologist arrive and offer us money to copy our video tape because they thought we had captured the water phase on video.

We got some pictures of some birds that had been scalded to death.
 

James S

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I have a deep well here, just a couple of miles from the open ocean. I'd love to know what kind of instrumentation you have down your wells in VA vtunderground. Is it just a pressure sensor? I could certainly put something like that on the well head. i already have infrastructure in place for continuous monitoring and graphing of other data here. It might be fun to add this at some point in the future...
 

vtunderground

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Our wells use different setups... Some still use an old-school strip chart with a float on the water surface, while some use a pressure transducer. Ben Meadows sells a few loggers that might work for you.

Interestingly, all of our wells that saw changes in the groundwater level were located in the mountains. The wells in the piedmont and tidewater regions didn't show the earthquake at all.
 

JohnK

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I'm glad someone mentioned the Yellowstone Super Volcano.

The horrible loss of life from the Indian Ocean earthquake would PALE at the WORLDWIDE loss of life if the Yellowstone Super Volcano pops. It might even reach an extinction intensity.
 

eluminator

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It appears that you can see the effect of the lunar tides in your well. If the moon goes away you will be the first person to know about it.
 
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