More things to worry about: Earthquake fault lines

Buildings in Seattle after the 1948
earthquake
Seattle Municipal Archives

By Diane Hettrick

Friday morning, July 12, 2019, at 2:52am, an earthquake, described as "rapid, harsh, and very loud" jolted some residents out of sleep.

It was felt all over Shoreline, but most people seem to have slept through it. I was awake and working at my computer at that time and didn't hear or feel a thing.

I've been through five or six earthquakes here. The big ones everybody feels. The little ones seem to depend on what kind of ground you are on.

I was sitting in my chair one evening, reading a book. 

Suddenly the ground under me felt like it abruptly slid sideways about three feet. 

That was it. I wasn't even sure if it really had happened, but my hanging plants were swinging back and forth. My daughter felt it. My husband was in the basement and didn't notice anything. 

And the neighbor across the street said - nope, didn't feel a thing.

For more things to worry about, The Seattle Times published an article about local fault lines and speculation from seismologists about when to expect "The Big One."

Friday earthquakes on a crustal fault show it’s not only the ‘Big One’ we should fear