How can a dog detect an earthquake?

[sntslilhlpr6601]

Well, apparently the O' Club hears them coming...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-12-Haiti_N.htm

or something.

[Babalonian]

If there's one thing about living in California, is you get ot know your way around quakes pretty good.  Without a doubt it's their heightened sences that tips them off first.  Most earthquakes that rouse me outa my bed in the middle of the night I wake up to about 10-20 seconds before the quake will actualy hit.  Sometimes my pet is already on it and is very awake and aware, sometimes me and my pet wake up at the same time 10-20 seconds before impact with that dreadful gut feeling of knowing what's about to hit.  There is a very prominent low rumbling noise as the shockwaves move twords your location, and it's an awefuly distinctive rumble if you've experienced it a few times.  Best way I can describe it is that someone is firing up a saturn5 rocket a mile under the surface.  The sound just eminates everywhere from the ground and you can sence the inbound energy that's about to hit. 

Other tell-tale signs anyone can sence in a metropolitan area before any shaking hits is power tranformers blowing out.  If it's night-time and the shaking is strong enough, the night sky will brilliantly flash a few seconds before the shaking will hit you.  This is because power tranformers will explode/spark when a strong shake hits them and if they have some power still running through them.  It perfectly times/ques the sparks/flash on those live transformers in unison as the shockwave aproaches you, creating a visible and very clean and quick flash in the sky before the shaking hits you.

The scariest quakes seem to me to be the ones that happen while I'm working outside and a quake or aftershocks hits.  That pre-rumbling noise will start up in the distance and start to get louder, while at the same time if you happen to have a bit of a view, you can see the earth rolling and distant structures/features shaking/vibrating as the quake/waves aproaches you, but the quake still hasnt actually reached you yet.  It's like you can see it coming and you know exactly when you're going to get hit.  The thing is though that the visual your seeing seems to protray more severe damage/shaking than what it actually will be.  A 3.5+ can look very intimidating, but I'd hate to see a 6.0+ coming at me.

[Jayhawk]

Hours? yeah right

That dog probably heard what I hear, which is a very low frequency thump with about the same lead time as the dog took off to the quake hitting. I think it depends on the depth of the quake too. My missus and friends can't hear it, but I often hear low freq stuff they can't (that bugs the hell out of me trying to get to sleep).

I think I'm on the opposite spectrum, I often hear very high frequency sounds.  I can hear TVs getting turned on in other rooms and yesterday my ears were hurting walking through those security gate things at the library.  However I remember at my old job being unable to hear guys talking to me (there was usually a diesel engine or two and a 4in pump running but guys next to me could hear). 

[Grayeagle]

bah ..dog's prolly askin themselves how we use a spoon.

-GE aka Frank

[Mano]

...this is what ya do if your dog cannot detect earthquakes

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[CAP1]

The eminent P-wave?
The electromagnetic waves that precede an earthquake?
Super hearing or keen sense of smell?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG5w7oo-vak


 

when things fall on his head, it's an earthquake.

[EskimoJoe]

This thread is intriguing 

Please, continue.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

If there's one thing about living in California, is you get ot know your way around quakes pretty good.  Without a doubt it's their heightened sences that tips them off first.  Most earthquakes that rouse me outa my bed in the middle of the night I wake up to about 10-20 seconds before the quake will actualy hit.  Sometimes my pet is already on it and is very awake and aware, sometimes me and my pet wake up at the same time 10-20 seconds before impact with that dreadful gut feeling of knowing what's about to hit.  There is a very prominent low rumbling noise as the shockwaves move twords your location, and it's an awefuly distinctive rumble if you've experienced it a few times.  Best way I can describe it is that someone is firing up a saturn5 rocket a mile under the surface.  The sound just eminates everywhere from the ground and you can sence the inbound energy that's about to hit. 

Other tell-tale signs anyone can sence in a metropolitan area before any shaking hits is power tranformers blowing out.  If it's night-time and the shaking is strong enough, the night sky will brilliantly flash a few seconds before the shaking will hit you.  This is because power tranformers will explode/spark when a strong shake hits them and if they have some power still running through them.  It perfectly times/ques the sparks/flash on those live transformers in unison as the shockwave aproaches you, creating a visible and very clean and quick flash in the sky before the shaking hits you.

The scariest quakes seem to me to be the ones that happen while I'm working outside and a quake or aftershocks hits.  That pre-rumbling noise will start up in the distance and start to get louder, while at the same time if you happen to have a bit of a view, you can see the earth rolling and distant structures/features shaking/vibrating as the quake/waves aproaches you, but the quake still hasnt actually reached you yet.  It's like you can see it coming and you know exactly when you're going to get hit.  The thing is though that the visual your seeing seems to protray more severe damage/shaking than what it actually will be.  A 3.5+ can look very intimidating, but I'd hate to see a 6.0+ coming at me.

My wife has experienced a 7.2 quake. She said that the ground was burning hot days before the quake (I presume from rock stressing up before being released as a quake). Luckily they were at a drive-in movie show when it hit. She said she could see buildings literally jump in the air so she could see the sun shine between the floors. Everyone were sleeping out in the park that and following night as aftershocks came and building inspector crews were assessing the damage caused.

[dedalos]

Hearing, I can hear them coming too. I'm usually awake before they hit or during the daytime I'll sometimes hear them.

If you are any where near the epicenter (also depending on the type of the quake) you can hear them coming.  Not a good feeling once you are familiar with the sound and you know whats coming in a few seconds

[Ack-Ack]

My wife has experienced a 7.2 quake. She said that the ground was burning hot days before the quake (I presume from rock stressing up before being released as a quake). Luckily they were at a drive-in movie show when it hit. She said she could see buildings literally jump in the air so she could see the sun shine between the floors. Everyone were sleeping out in the park that and following night as aftershocks came and building inspector crews were assessing the damage caused.

I slept through the Northridge earthquake when I was staying the night at an ex-girlfriend's apartment near CSUN.  Only reason I woke up was the sound of all the car alarms and people screaming.  Went outside of her apartment to see what was wrong and noticed the apartment across the street had collapsed.  Kind of felt silly afterwards when I asked someone what happened, the look they gave me was like "are you a dumbsh*t?".


ack-ack

[Babalonian]

My wife has experienced a 7.2 quake. She said that the ground was burning hot days before the quake (I presume from rock stressing up before being released as a quake). Luckily they were at a drive-in movie show when it hit. She said she could see buildings literally jump in the air so she could see the sun shine between the floors. Everyone were sleeping out in the park that and following night as aftershocks came and building inspector crews were assessing the damage caused.

I've never noticed a relation between the weather or the ground temperatures and any seismic activity.  Perhaps where your wife was a more volcanicly active area than california and there was some churning and burning going on under the surface that triggered the quake.  They do like to occur is groups though here around the Pacific IMO, quakes starting anywhere around the pacific rim is a good headsup that more quakes along the rim are gonna occur soon.

[Karnak]

I recall reading an account of an Italian shop keeper who watch the cat that lived in his shop rapidly haul her kittens out of the shop.  He became curious as to why and where she was going so he followed her out when she got the last one.  Shortly after, a large quake hit and flattened many buildings, including his shop.

[sntslilhlpr6601]

My father once felt a quake that originated in California. Our home had a basement(rare for Arizona) so the ground floor is wood and he felt the wave pass through the house. Kind of hard to believe that the wave could transmit that far with enough strength to be noticeable, but he knew he felt something that night and the next morning we learned of a fairly large quake in SoCal.

I didn't really believe it at the time, I was asleep in the basement when it happened. I think I was mostly just jealous because I've never experienced a quake. Though, especially with the event on tuesday, I could definitely go without. But these stories are interesting, keep 'em comin'.

[tassos]

Spring 2005 I was Playing AH at 1 am the ping was getting High I warped a Little seconds Later the Earth shakes for 2 seconds my Desk was going from left to right the Pic frozen Host Lost connection
Wife woke up the Window was open a I heart the Roaring in the Forest,dust falled from the Ceiling Hole Lotta shaking Jerry Lee Lewis was Playing in Radio
The Center was in Switzerland about 180 km from me.
2005 my internetprovider was Telekom Stuttgart,Telekom Stuttgart is between me and Switzerland