Now Earthquakes In Florida! I should have never moved here!

Earthquake in Gulf unusual, but not a first
Monday, September 11, 2006
Click here for an enlarged map.A large earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday morning was felt from the Bay area as far north as Georgia and Alabama.The National Earthquake Center confirmed an earthquake in the Gulf at 10:56 a.m. Sunday. It was centered 260 miles west southwest of Clearwater and about 251 miles west-southwest of Bradenton Beach. The depth in the Gulf was estimated at about 6.2 miles. It registered a 6 magnitude, which is considered strong in scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey web site. A 7 is considered large and 3 is rated a minor earthquake. Emergency service providers in the Bay area didn't report any disruptions in power or service. Tampa International Airport said there were no delays.There was a small earthquake in the Gulf in February, but Al Hine, a geological oceanographer at USF, said it was still unexpected. Hine said it was unusual because Florida sits near the middle of what's known in geological circles as the North American Plate. Earthquakes usually happen on the edge of that plate in places such as California."There are stresses associated with these boundaries, and these stresses can be transmitted to the middle of the plate and can perhaps reactivate old faults that occurred but haven't been active for a long period of time," Hine said.While there may be aftershocks, Hine said don't expect a tsunami (tidal waves)."This particular quake probably did not displace the sea floor, so there's no displacement of the water column on top, hence there probably was no tsunami," Hine said.

Earthquake In GulfPosted September 10, 2006 at 12:11 PM
A large earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico was felt throughout the Bay area around 10:56 this morning.
The epicenter of the 6.0 magnitude quake was about 250 miles west of Ft. Myers.
Bay area residents from Sarasota to Weeki Wachi, and as far inland as Brandon, reported shaking and rattling in their homes that lasted up to 20 seconds.
Earthquake experts consider a magnitude 7 earthquake major.
While Florida is not considered to be at high risk for earthquakes, the United States Geological Survey said several minor shocks have occured.
The last earthquake felt in Florida was in Quincy in 1952, about 20 miles northwest of Tallahassee. That quake was reported as a slight tremor, with no damage.
Send Us Your Comments

Posted by Lynette Postler, Tampa on 09/11 at 10:42 AM
I felt it! There were two distinct tremors. I was reading in bed when I felt the first shock which seemed to last forever because I glanced at my bottled water and the water was swaying to and fro; then there was a pause and then the aftershock hit. I remember thinking it was either an explosion or an earthquake. I live minutes from Tampa Bay.

Posted by Tami, Tampa, FL on 09/10 at 07:02 PM
Sitting in my living room, we heard pots and pans rattling and our couch/chairs vibrated. I thought it was a helicopter or Space Shuttle or a jet from MacDill. Didn’t think twice about it until I saw the news. WOW!

Posted by PATTY CAMUNAS, LAND O LAKES, FL on 09/10 at 02:19 PM
FELT THE EARTHQUAKE. DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS UNTIL IT WAS REPORTED ON THE RADIO. IT FELT JUST LIKE WHEN THE SHUTTLE COMES IN AND ROCKS EVERYTHING.

Posted by Clayton Boswell, Mulberry, Florida on 09/10 at 01:39 PM
Shockwaves we felt here in Mulberry, Polk county this morning. Sitting at my desk in my mobil home writing some bills out and my desk lamp was shaking and felt the whole house was shaking as if the washer was on spin cycle with a heavy load. I knew something wasn’t right because the shake was different. I had to check it out on TBO.com to see what was happening and saw there was a earthquake being reported.

Posted by Heather Fernandez, Riverview on 09/10 at 01:30 PM
What makes the experts think another tsunami won’t happen to Florida? Could that quake be the begining of it? I’m sure lots of the Bay area have questions on this. I didn’t feel the tremors but we had a thunder like it was fixing to start storming.

Posted by Anthony Rutigliano, sebring,fl 33875 on 09/10 at 01:29 PM
My family and I were just relaxing and we felt the house shake and the windows rattle. I was on my bed playing video games and I felt it twice. The first one lasted 20-30 seconds. The second one lasted about ten seconds. The rest of the family felt it once.

Posted by Lisa Williams, Tavares Florida on 09/10 at 01:28 PM
Hello YES SO GLAD you mentioned the earthquake, me and one of the other employees felt our chairs moving underneath us, we thought we were insane.. I am a nurse supervisor at Florida Hospital Waterman.. Lisa

Posted by Michelle Young, Sebring, Florida on 09/10 at 01:26 PM
I was at my desk and I felt a shake at about 10:58, no one else seemed to feel it in the house, but I felt like the shuttle was entering the atmosphere again, it only lasted about 10 seconds at most. Wanted to share,
Michelle

Posted by Melody Stevens, Davenport on 09/10 at 01:24 PM
We also felt the earthquake here in Davenport FL. Wow all the way into Central Florida.

Posted by Robert Taylor, Carrollwood on 09/10 at 01:23 PM
i heard this loud rumbling, like a really loud off-balance washing machine, around 10 to 10:30 this morning at University Community Hospital at Carrolwood… thought it was just some big piece of hospital equipment, but i’m convinced it was this quake
didn’t feel any tremors, just the loud rumblling

Posted by Debbie Bouchillon, Bartow on 09/10 at 01:19 PM
We felt it here in Bartow!

Posted by Marrianne Cooper, Homosassa on 09/10 at 01:18 PM
It shook us here too!! Water in fish tank swished around, mirrors on dresser moved, bed shook. Went out to figure out what was going on.

Posted by Terri Thatcher, tampa,fl on 09/10 at 01:16 PM
I felt/heard my windows shake this morning. I thought it was just one of the caring people who drive past my house on Sunday morning, sharing their music with me.

Posted by Joy Norcia, Hernando county on 09/10 at 01:12 PM
Probably set off by the oil drillingin the gulf! Keep on going ! (this was Lori Cruz's theory all along!)

Posted by Lori Carson, Zephyrhills, FL on 09/10 at 01:05 PM
We live in Crystal Springs in a mobile home and we felt the earthquake. Dishes were rattling and also my daughter was on computer and she said the computer monitor shook and she also felt the chair she was in shaking. Had no idea what it could have been.

Posted by Florence Schreier, Lakeland, FL on 09/10 at 12:56 PM
I felt the earth moving this morning as I was sitting in my living room and I thought I was going crazy. I live right off of I-4 at exit 33 and felt it pretty significantly. Wow.

Posted by Dorothy Bortko-Rizzo, on 09/10 at 12:55 PM
Shortly before 11am my walls started shaking and caused my glass wall unit doors to rattle and my tv was jumping around on its table. I thought someone was doing construction in the condo next door so I knocked on the wall...............Surprise!

Posted by Jose Parrilla, Winter Haven, FL on 09/10 at 12:51 PM
We’re in Winter Haven and we felt a shortlived vibration in our house. I thought it was earlier in the morning than what was reported however.

Posted by Diane Schroder, New Port Richey, FL on 09/10 at 12:47 PM
I was in my bed relaxing and felt the room shake some. When I told the rest of my family they thought I was nuts. Glad to see that it wasn’t just me!!

Posted by janice parres, tampa on 09/10 at 12:45 PM
An earthquake in Florida? Not so surprising with the change in weather patterns we have seen over the past few years all over the country. I am grateful for the latest technology that we have with weather prediction so accurate. Lets hope that today`s occurrance in the Gulf is not a sign of more to come.

Posted by Judy Zambito, Zephyrhills on 09/10 at 12:42 PM
We felt the earthquake here in Zephyrhills as well.