h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Earthquakes in Pennsylvania - A2452574
Author: Jimi X - U53353

People don't usually associate earthquakes with Pennsylvania, but the 'Quaker State' has quaked in the past!

This entry attempts to give a brief history of earthquakes in Pennsylvania. It is also vying to be my 100th entry into the Edited Guide.


- Jimi X

Hi Jimi

Well done - very informative as always.

"Pennsylvania's record of earthquakes is mile" - mild?

Couple of other thoughts:-

Does the Richter Scale deserve its own entry? You have done 90% of the work here already.

How big was the Missouri earthquake on the Richter Scale?



Woodpigeon

Changes made.

The Richter Scale probably *does* deserve its own entry, but there's enough maths involved that I'm steering clear of it for now.

Thanks for giving this a read!


- X

The Missouri quake has it's own entry, so Jimi X doesn't need to mention that here. I was surprised that he needed to mention all the background information about the Richter scale and earthquakes, but then I went and read the other articles in the Guide, and this basic information isn't there!

Does Pennsylvania place restrictions on the building code to make sure new structures can survive a 6.0 earthquake?

I agree with Woodpidgeon that the parts about the Richter scale should be made a separate entry. That would greatly facilitate updating the several other entries about earthquakes which lack such information.

Aside from that, I have only two minor points to mention :-

a) The link to the entry called 'earth' is not worth the time it takes to go there and back. For those reader who do follow links, the link to earth also occurs in an article you have linked, so is superfluous in this entry anyway.

b) , but that is may only true now. It might preclude obsolescence to say or something similar (as the date is in the data box).

Well done - a fine entry.

The 'joke' earth entry is something of a guilty pleasure of mine...

I'll rework the bit about to this date Old Hairy. And as far as building codes go, Pennsylvania is a real mess with too many different requirements depending on which governmental unit you're dealing with.

This entry seems to lack focus I'm never quite sure whether it's an entry about earthquakes, or about earthquakes in PA, or about the Richter scale. There's as much information about subjects which ought to have their own entry as there is about the title subject.

The opening of the entry for instance, starts off in the 1900s then jumps back to the 1700s without any mention of the intervening century. It might be better to start off with the 1700s and then go forward, whether or not you can locate any information regarding the 1800s.

I think the first two sentences in the second paragraph should be merged into one.

I have to agree that much of the Richter information, and the table, really doesn't belong in this entry and deserves its own.

"when the supercontinent Pangea broke apart, forming the Atlantic Ocean"
That's comes across as misleading - it suggests that the breakup of Pangea *only* formed the Atlantic. Perhaps you could say 'when the Atlantic Ocean was formed as the supercontinent Pangea broke apart'. Slightly different emphasis


Scout

If you give me a day or two, I'll throw together an entry on the Richter Scale.

Cheers!

Good entry, but it could do with some headers to break it up.

I thought the supercontinent was called 'Pangaea'.

Ah, that'll be the British English spelling

Did you make this entry just for the Quaker joke at the end?

"Though Richter referred to is as the Magnitude Scale throughout his life."
Do you mean "referred to *this* as the..."

Oh, and I disagree with Gnomon. I think the introduction of headers would clutter it. And the flow is perfectly acceptable as it is now.

I agree with Gosho about focus. It struct me while I was reading it that there was an awful lot of background information on earthquakes. I know if I wrote an entry on the San Francisco Earthquake (and the earthquakes of California were on my mind a lot while I was there last week) I would assume that the reader knew what earthquakes were.

Great entry - just in your first mention of tremors you spell it trembors and that was the only complaint I could find.
Just curious - have you been reading Bill Bryson's a Short History of Nearly Anything?

'Temblor' is another name for earthquake, but for the sake of clarity, I've removed it...

I've also narrowed the focus to only talking about Pennsylvania earthquakes with a couple of reference paragraphs. I've added a header and I think I've answered all the concerns raised.


- Jimi X

Of course, I'd recommend expanding the title to 'Earthquakes in Pennsylvania, USA'

As you wish...

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Darn he's in the lead for the 2nd hundred.

Congratulations!

Thanks all!

I'm not sure I fixed the spelling on the supercontinent hopefully the Sub will catch it... I'll keep an eye out for the Coming Up page and drop him/her/it about that spelling change.


- X