The Earthquake That Wasn't

Over in Apple Bonker's Journal, Sarah K. took note the other day of the 15th anniversary of a 15-second quake that took place when she was 15. That's as good an excuse as any for me to tell you all a little story.

I was probably about 15 on the only occasion I ever felt the earth move. The year was about 1972. I was home in Manlius, NY, waiting for a friend to arrive by car from elsewhere in Manlius. When the house shook, I thought maybe it was because of a heavy truck going by. The friend arrived (I don't remember who), and she'd felt it too. My mom agreed with us that it was probably an earthquake. But in Manlius?! We were about 3000 miles away from California earthquake country.

So I called the news department of WSYR TV, or possibly WHEN. I think it was WSYR. (Both stations have since changed their call letters, I think.)  "Hi, I'd like to report a possible earthquake in Manlius," I said. I was as shocked as anyone at the words coming out of my mouth.  Whoever answered the phone got my name and number, asked a few questions, thanked me and hung up.

Perhaps forty-five minutes later, the phone rang. The tv station's news anchor was calling me back. "Hi, this is John Banks. I thought you might want to know that what you reported wasn't an earthquake." Or words to that effect.

He went on to tell me that a work crew had done some blasting over at Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville, which was about five miles from my house. I never found out why they did this. Banks (if I'm remembering his name correctly) told me that the work crew had used too much explosive, making the ground shake for miles around. But it wasn't, technically, an earthquake.

I thanked the news anchor for the information. "I suppose it was stupid of me to think there could be an earthquake in Manlius," I said.


"Not at all," Banks said. He told me that Syracuse was on a fault line, not a major one like the San Andreas,but enough of one that there had been an earthquake in the area in the 1940s (1945 I think).

In the years since then, I've been to California many times. I've lived for 18 years in Arizona, where some people have felt at least one recent quake, originating I think near Yuma. But the only earthquake I've ever felt was the earthquake that wasn't, in a place where no one would expect an earthquake, but which occasionally has one.

I'm not saying I want death and destruction for my personal amusement. But someday, if there are going to be small, non-destructive eathquakes anyway from time to time, I'd like to feel one that wasn't manmade. Does that make me a bad person?

Karen

Photo credits: the house and the living room photos are by Joel Rubinstein, 1971. High Bridge Road from the Town of Manlius web site, photographer unknown.