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

That's what you get with looking at different conversations at the same time

I'm not offended!

It's done! Goo lovers can now join without any worries!

Great! However, I probably should point out that some links also include classic. Just to be fair. (nag nag nag, yeah I know, sorry. )

Linda, on the page itself all "alabaster" and "classic" is gone when I test it. When I hover the cursor over a link it displays "alabaster" in the link.

Linda

I can't find anymore biased links - can you give me an example?

Thanks,

Woodpigeon

Sorry, I'd wandered off for a bit of a sit down.

You're right, all skin links gone. But it's strange that some have skins when I hover over them, and other's don't...

Hi, Woodpigeon and others!

This is a great idea for a group! Sign me up, please?
I've been in two hurricanes, and once walked two miles in a really bad gale.

Hi Nora! Welcome to the group! (I hope your exams went well - was it the Leaving Cert?)

Since many people in the group have had first hand experience of major natural phenomena, I am looking for people to give me more information about their experiences. I will put these experiences on a linked page. You can email me or describe your experience on this page if you wish.



Woodpigeon

Thanks; it was the Leaving Cert. Okay so far - I have Spanish in a few days, and then I'm free!

Hmm, well off the top of my head, I'd say rain and strong winds were the major natural phenomena. I was indoors during both of the hurricanes, one of which was Hurricane Opal, a freak storm that came all the way up through Georgia while remaining a hurricane (rather than tropical storm). It was also very late in the year for a hurricane: they're named in alphabetical order, and the 'O's are seldom reached. The power failed at some point, and we all slept downstairs in case a tree fell on the top story. None did, but a neighbour lost two trees, and there was damage to power lines (hence the failure) which left some people in the dark for about three days. We didn't have to go to school the next day, I suppose because they were worried about trees blocking roads and possible damage to school buildings. That wouldn't have taken much, as we had classes in trailers, but as far as I remember they were fine. There was some flooding, which didn't affect us because we were on a hill.

I was down in Florida for the other storm, which was if anything less eventful. Floridians are used to these things; they build for them and they don't get too worried when they happen. (There is a very funny story, though, about my grandmother, a northerner, trying to sweep floodwater out the front door.) The odd, unusually strong hurricane such as Andrew doesn't follow this rule, but this one was fairly mild: I think its name was Alberto. For me, it was exciting, because my grandmother's house where we were staying is on the bayou, and I watched the water in the storm. I can't remember if it damaged her dock; I know we lost the canoe in Opal a few years later. Alberto (if I'm right about the name) followed us home to Atlanta as a tropical storm / depression, and we drove through very stiff winds. That was probably more dangerous than the hurricane.

Having recently moved to Ireland, I experienced my first gale in October, 2000. I walk part of the way to school, and I found it hard going that morning, as the wind was against me. Then the Dart refused to continue past Dun Laoghaire, so I got off and called my mum, who called school, who told me to get the next Dart home while I still could. Sure enough, the line between Dalkey and Bray was flooded and covered by mudslide later that day. The Dargle rose without bursting its banks, while Newtownmountkennedy was flooded; the Dart was out for the next week or so, and the buses were always packed. Gales are very different from hurricanes: they're cold and generally don't have lightning. The approach taken is very different, even when it's a strong storm: normal people go out in them, without video cameras to sell footage to news crews.

Great Nora, thanks!

I have added your account to a new page, which can be accessed from the main page.

I am still waiting for my account of the 1999 earthquake in Turkey to resurface (It was written long before Rupert). Does anyone else have an experience I can add to this page?

Woodpigeon

me too please...

can't look at anything without thinking 'geology'

now living in major hourican zone, sign me up.

alec.

Hi AlecTrician,

I know the feeling! It's a bit addictive, isn't it? Welcome onboard ! If you have any stories about the strange and wonderful places you have visited (in a geological sense, of course) let me know and I will add them to the Researchers Experiences list that I am compiling.



Woodpigeon

Ok, you asked for experiences, so here we go!

In February of this year, Anchorage had a nice little tremor. It wasn't enough to do any major damage (a few pieces of China here and there, and random crack in a few walls), but it scared the bejesees out of the whole population.

Fortunatley for me, my school just happened to be situated about 2 miles from the epicentre (focus 13 miles deep). There were two quakes about 45 seconds apart. The first was called a 5.4, but it wasn't very strong - a few rumbles, a little bit of a rolling. You know, typical tremor we get once a week (only a mite bit stronger and really deep). Well, the aftershock is what got us. Though the aftershock was only a 5, it was much closer to the surface, therefore, the intensity was greatly increased.

I was on the top floor of my school (five stories) doing a few titrations in a Chemistry lab when the first quake hit. We all looked around and wondered if we shouldn't get under a desk or two as that might not have been the worst of what was happening. We all edged a bit closer to the tables and away from the lab, when the second quake struck. It felt like a semi-truck had hit the school full-on and with a load of concrete to boot.

Well, we all scampered under tables, except that we all happened to be in one congested spot, therefore jumping under the exact same table. Yup, 9 people under a single lab table. As the ground was shaking, I, my Chemistry teacher, and another student crawled to other desks and waited out the end of the quake. It lasted about 45 seconds and then everything was deathly quiet.

My classroom was the only one with any noticeable "damage" or effects from the quake in that two light fixtures had swung loose. Of course, this was cause for great amusement in the class, as the day before, my classmates were taking bets on when/if I would get maimed in any way, and getting knocked out by a light fixture was the most popular choice. (the reason for these bets was that I'm rather.... accident prone [to say the least] and had already burned my hand on a slightly-less-than-red-hot crucible and shot nitric acid in my eye...)

Fortunately, all was safe and sound - I just can't wait for the "big one"!

Shanana

Brilliant account! I have added it to the page.

"You know, typical tremor we get once a week " - I thought you said Alaska was uneventful!

Thanks Shanana

While I was in school in 1987 a magnatude 6.6 earthquake hit the town I was lliving in. (if you want to see pics just type "edgecumbe earthquake", with the quotes, into google)

My class was outside on the netball courts at the time when the ground started swaying side to side and those that didn't fall over at the time headed for the ground rather quickly. I sat down as soon as I could because falling onto volcanic chip tarseal was going to hurt. As I sat down I saw a some concrete outside a classroom lift out of the ground, not totally unlike a movie. By this time the ground have given up side-to-side and was making circles.

There was an aftershock of five point something or six and after that the whole school was lead on the grass sports fields to wait for our parents and swap stories. People in their classrooms dove under desks and held on for the ride as those desks made their way around the insides of classrooms.

My Father came to pick me up and go home. That's when I saw the damage (being a small town there were few building over one floor). The mall was a wreck and the footpath was brocken and jaggered. There were tremmors through the night and afterward the army moved in and the prime minister visited and it was six weeks or so before we were back at school.

p.s. No one died in the quake but some died of a heart attack when a state of emergency was declared.

p.p.s Cyclone Bola was fun too

Cool! It's added! What did you mean by "the ground have given up side to side and was making circles"? That sounds quite amazing.

Are you anywhere close to the Rotorua volcano that erupted a few years ago?

The quake started off by going side to side and then it changed directions. At home it was worse because the ground shaking went up and down.

I live in Rotorua now. I think the volcano you're thinking of was further south at a ski feild but it did manage to cover Rotorua in ash.

We have hotpools, giesers and boiling mud pools here because of a volcano that erupted in the 1800's.

There was a news item last Tuesday warning that one of the 50 volcanos that Auckland city is built on could erupt again.

Amazing.

I have always wanted to go to NZ - now I really really want to go!

I can always give you some suggestions of places to visit