Capers With Carroll

A little over two years ago, I stumbled upon a USGS site that gives a real-time earthquake map of California and its near-neighbors. It presents a one-week history of whatever has been shaking. I find it so interesting that I give it a brief check several times a day. I’ve even taken to keeping a file of the maps that I might want to refer back to at some later date. During most of that time, the totals for a week’s worth of quakes have run from a low of 342 (Jan 31, 2008) to a high of 651 (May 31, 2007), but suddenly, the number has shot up, and this afternoon hit 1018.

Most of the recent activity has been just across the border into Baja California, at Guadalupe Victoria. In honor of Vicki’s birthday, they had a 5.4. Three days later they had a 5.1 and then a 5.0. They’ve also had a constant jiggling of fourzies, threezies, twozies, and onezies. Middle Son, living in La Jolla, reports he hasn't felt any of them. But they sure look impressive on the map.I can afford to watch all these earthquakes with some emotional distance. I live in the eye of the storm. In all the time I’ve been watching, this is the closest an earthquake has come to Visalia, a 1.8 in Lindsay (19 miles away; the bigger quake was a 3.0 at Kettleman City, 54 miles away).