Hello & Good Morning!

[Rudy Taylor]

Sweet lady.

Such gumption!

[Diane Amberg]

Good morning all. We had rain overnight but none yesterday or yet this morning.This is one of those big weekends in May when there is so much going on that it's hard to pick what to do. We spent a good piece of yesterday up the road at nearby Fair Hill Maryland at the 49th annual Colonial Highland Scottish Games. I went to the first one back in 1960 and met the delightful Scot who was in charge, not knowing he would become a good friend and neighbor later in my life, McLean(Mac) McLeod. They had a great opening ceremony trooping the colors for Armed Forces Day to the music of 27 massed pipe bands. They have all the traditional events and this year added scottish fiddle competition too. They have a big clan tents area where people can find their tartan, ask questions,(eat cookies!) and find out about their family history.
  Yesterday was also "A Day in Old New Castle". It's a very old colonial town right on the Delaware River. Many of the original homes and business buildings are still there."The Strand" is one of the oldest streets, still paved in ballast blocks from the old ships that came into port. Each year they open the old homes and docents take people through. Al's mom used to guide tours at the George Reed House.The locals dress in colonial garb. I have a wonderful photo of Al, as a small boy, in colonial clothes sitting at his mothers feet.
    Later today is Newark's Memorial Day Parade, biggest in the state.  All our fire equipment got thoroughly washed, polished and touched up. We have stand by equipment in the stations today, so we empty the houses for the parade. Have a great day everyone.

[Diane Amberg]

Good morning California! I see there was a bit of a jiggle east of the LA airport last night. Hope all our CA friends will check in and tell us if they felt it.

[patyrn]

It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend!  Traditions are so meaningful to carry on, and all the activities build such heritage.  I'm glad the weather cooperated.  We had a beautiful weekend of weather, too. 

[larryJ]

Diane, it sounds really neat.  I have never been in that part of the country except for a trip to Rhode Island much farther north.  My son chose to go to college there and came home after the first year in which it snowed 115".  Not good for a SoCall surfer dude.  Earthquake?  My wife's nephews were visiiting and we were all outside watching the kids play.  I wasn't aware that we had an earthquake until after they left and I came in and turned on the TV.  Generally, not always, but generally unless the magnitude is 5.0 or more, it might go unnoticed.  And the depth of the quake makes a difference.  The farther down the less you feel.  Last nights quake was eight miles down which would make it less noticeable.  If there is a 4.0 magnitude quake and it is right under you and close to the surface, then you would definitely feel it.  Last I heard the one last night was a 4.7.

Larryj

[Wilma]

It's nice to have a first hand account of the earthquake.  I always wonder about our California friends when I hear of one.  Now, how about the explosion in Delaware last night or yesterday?  Diane, what can you tell us?

[dnalexander]

Good morning California! I see there was a bit of a jiggle east of the LA airport last night. Hope all our CA friends will check in and tell us if they felt it.

Heck, we barely take notice of quakes less than 5 on the Richter Scale. The earthquake occurred very near where I used to live in LA. Talked to a few people and everything is ok with no damage. Good shake but not much else. The USGS has tons of info on all things earthquake.

USGS Earthquake Information
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Kansas Earthquake Info
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/?region=Kansas

Info on the Biggest Kansas Quake and the Most Recent Kansas Quake

Biggest
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1867_04_24.php
Historic Earthquakes


Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas
1867 04 24 20:22 UTC
Magnitude 5.10
Intensity VII

Largest Earthquake in Kansas

This earthquake inflicted several minor injuries, cracked walls, and loosened stones from buildings. At Manhattan, a 0.6-meter wave was observed moving south to north on the Kansas River. Chimneys were downed in Louisville (Pottawatomie County) and Leavenworth. One side of a large building that houses a newspaper office was knocked down at Paola, south of Kansas City, in Miami County. East of Manhattan, the earth opened and ejected much water on a farm about 5 kilometers south of Wamego.

Additional minor damage occurred in Iowa at Dubuque (plaster fell); in Kansas at Junction City (a well being dug was destroyed), Kansas City (plaster was shaken down), Lawrence (several stones were knocked off a church), Olathe (roof shingles were knocked to the ground), and Wamego (walls were cracked and plaster was broken); and in Missouri at Chillicothe (plaster fell from ceilings), St. Joseph (walls of new school house were cracked), and Warrensburg (plaster fell from ceiling). This earthquake is one of the important shocks that define the Midcontinent seismic trend. Also felt in Indiana and Illinois.

The felt area shown in the Kansas hypocenter list (500,000 square kilometers) is based on information in the original source reference, which states that the earthquake was felt only in the territory east of the epicenter. Information on this shock is sparse for the region west of the epicenter, and so the felt area given is only a rough estimate.


Most Recent Quake
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/last_event_states/states_kansas.html

Magnitude 2.7 KANSAS
Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 08:44:16 UTC

Preliminary Earthquake Report

Magnitude    2.7
# Date-Time    Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 08:44:16 (UTC) - Coordinated Universal Time
# Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 02:44:16 AM local time at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location    37.02N 97.32W
Depth    5 kilometers
Region    KANSAS
Distances    25 km (15 miles) W of Arkansas City, Kansas
40 km (25 miles) NNW of Ponca City, Oklahoma
75 km (45 miles) S of Wichita, Kansas
265 km (165 miles) SSW of TOPEKA, Kansas
Location Uncertainty    Error estimate not available, held by USGS NEIC to another agency's solution
Parameters    not available
Source    Oklahoma Geological Survey, Leonard, USA
Event ID    uslra7

Larry, glad everything is ok in your part of LA.

David

[Diane Amberg]

Thanks Larry and David. I find just the idea of earthquakes unsettling. Glad it wasn't anything to worry about.
     Wilma, about the big deal last night. The BIG Sun Oil refinery at Marcus Hook PA straddles the state line south into DE., about 45 min. northeast of us here in Newark. Our company didn't have to go, but most everything north of Wilmington did. The explosion was on the Claymont DE side of the refinery in an ethylene tank. It made quite a boom and a contained fire but there were no injuries of any kind and no evacuations were called. I think Marcus Hook might be the second largest refinery in the country? Frank may know. Regardless, it is HUGE, right on the Delaware River.

[frawin]

Diane, SUNOCO Marcus hook is a Mid-Size Refinery. In my early days with Phillips we transported a lot of Crude into Marcus Hook via tankers.
It is a 175,000BPD refinery.

[Diane Amberg]

Wow, if that is midsized, I'd hate to see big! To me it looks huge.