From: greg@perry.berkeley.edu (Greg Anderson)
Newsgroups: ca.earthquakes
Subject: Re: Earthquake
Date: 11 Dec 1992 20:35:23 GMT
Organization: UC Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: andy.berkeley.edu
Keywords: Seismic Swarm

In article <phil.37@mailhub.scf.lmsc.lockheed.com> phil@mailhub.scf.lmsc.lockheed.com (Phil English) writes:
>   I am pleased to read the Earthquake Report dated 12-3-92. I live on the 
>edge of the Vergales Fault system west of San Juan Bautista and experienced 
>the swarm mentioned in that report ocurring at night. located in 
>Spring Canyon off of Crazy Horse Road, (Aromas Sandstones overlaying 
>granites and fractured granites), we frequently feel quakes here unreported 
>by the Berkeley Seismographic Observatory. This last swarm represents a 
>marked increase in the last 96 hours starting Tuesday 12-8-92.
>   I want to be able to phone a source of timely seismic observation for my 
>area that can estimate M#, epicenter and hypocenter for these "local" 
>events.
>   I sometimes feel I'm living atop batho-troll that no one else believes 
>exists. Please E-mail with Ph # info if avail..
>
>			Thanks Phil 


Phil,

	I would have e-mailed you, but this seemed like something 
of general interest, so I decided I'd post.  I am one of the two
folks in charge of making the phone message you hear from the UC Berkeley
Seismographic Stations (shameless plug:  the number is 510-642-2160).

Generally, the following classes of earthquakes are put on the message:

1)  Northern and Central California quakes with magnitudes of 3.0 or
	larger.
2)  Owens Valley, Southern California quakes with magnitudes of 4.0 or
	larger.
3)  Quakes off the Oregon Coast and in the Gulf of California with
	magnitudes of 5.0 or larger.
4)  "Teleseisms" (i.e. earthquakes > 1500 km from Berkeley) with magnitude
	of 6.0 or larger
5)  Earthquakes not meeting any of the above criteria which are of
	public interest.


Now, generally speaking, class 5 is used for smaller local events that
people report feeling.  If a bunch of people from Richmond, say, call
and report having felt an earthquake of magnitude 2.0, we would still
put that on the tape, despite the fact that that is a darned small
earthquake.

So, if you feel a quake that goes unreported on our message, give us a
call.  Our number is 510-642-3977, and you should ask to speak to either
me or Rick McKenzie (boy, is he gonna hate me now!)  Please be prepared
to tell us (generally) where you live -- i.e. San Jose, Hayward, Santa
Rosa, etc. -- and generally about when the earthquake took place.  [One of
my pet peeves is people who call in and simply say, "Was there an earthquake?"
I mean, sure, they felt it, but we record a dozen or more events per day,
and we can't tell where they are from or when it was.  I always want to
say, "Yep!" and hang up.  But we end up saying, "Could you be more specific,
please?"  But I digress.]  That way, we can check the records and let you
know what we find.  We actually see and locate many more earthquakes than 
are reported, but most of them are very small and go unfelt and unloved.

Anyway, here's those numbers again:

Phone Recording:  510-642-2160
Actual People (ask for Greg Anderson or Rick McKenzie):  510-642-3977


Greg Anderson
UC Berkeley Seismographic Stations
greg@perry.berkeley.edu