baja * quake

7.2 earthquake in Baja, California this Easter afternoon…  started with a 3.3 earthquake, a little tremble… I sat quietly, waiting to see what would happen… it lengthened into a big one!  My kitchen swayed like a boat… mirrors rattled… windchimes jingled… although I’m over a hundred miles north of the epicenter.   

Everyone talks about “what one was doing” shortly prior to earthquakes.  So, I was in the kitchen washing a colander of dou miao (fresh pea sprouts) from my favorite Asian market, a steaming plate of chapchae (rice vermicelli with vegetables) on the dining table.  I’d finished responding to students’ e-mail messages – it’s Academic Advising Week –  and was ready for an early supper.

I’ve lived in California for over a decade but am still unaccustomed to earthquakes, big or small… grateful for little damage, no loved ones hurt, aye, no one hurt at all… but these are only initial reports, and prayers still go up. 

According this site, the earthquake was caused by “shallow magma fields” associated with “tectonic forces which are slowly separating Baja California from the remainder of North America.” Yikes!