There is no way five of these six people discerned such a small earthquake at such a distance from the epicenter {USGS}

What are these people after? Are they simply ignorant of what constitutes an earthquake versus a vibration, or do they think the USGS gives an award for most ‘Did You Feel It?’ reports submitted? A magnitude 2.0 earthquake is hardly ever felt near the epicenter let alone 25+ miles away. However, in nearly all instances where the United States Geological Survey allows for ‘Did You Feel It?’ feedback, there are a handful of individuals who submit reports. These people, just like those who are hell-bent on being the first to comment on a blog post, are a nuisance. Furthermore, they are ignorant and probably seek self-fulfillment. Earthquakes are an exciting testament to the power of nature, but saying you felt a 2.0 is like saying you felt the vibrations of a loud truck as it drove past your home. And that’s what probably hopefully happens in the cases of false earthquake reports.

Before you submit a report, wait and see if anyone closer to the epicenter also submitted a report. In this case, one person, a mere 4km from the epicenter, has responded. This individual described the quake as being an intensity II, or barely felt. How then, may you ask, did another person 25 miles away feel the micro-quake at a stronger intensity? Answer: he or she didn’t feel the quake. Furthermore, look at the mathematical reference provided by the USGS. That standard deviation just does not make sense. Have a look at the graph below and decide for yourself how the hangers-on of the USGS site should be reprimanded. I say their IPs should be blocked from the site.

The data above the theoretical curve should be ignored {USGS}

The wonderfully detailed images below come from three USGS topographic maps of the Big Moose-Old Forge-West Canada Lakes region of the Adirondack Park in New York State. They are from the edition of July 1903 reprinted 1951, March 1901 reprinted 1949, and June 1903 reprinted 1948. Let’s have a look at some memorable names:

First, we have Witchhopple Lake. Apparently witchhopple is a type of plant, although it sounds more like a disease.

Witchhopple Lake

Next, we have Deadmans Gulch. For those who don’t know, a gulch is a steep valley formed by a stream. Odds are no one died here – instead the name probably stems from dangerous floods after heavy rain.

Deadman's Gulch

No, this is not a dessert made of cats. Kitty Cobble was probably named after the size and shape of the stones in the area (a cobble is a rock measuring from 3-12 inches in diameter). Someone probably thought the rocks formed the silhouette of a cat’s head.

Kitty Cobble

The name Queer Lake is perfect for this irregular body of water. Only God knows how this one was formed.

Queer Lake

Say the name of the next one five times fast. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. No shanty is shown on the map – it must have fallen apart before the turn of the century.

Shingle Shanty Pond

Notice how Stink Lake is located next to Balsam Lake. What are the odds?

Stink Lake

What a terror you are, Terror Lake. This one is as oddly shaped as Queer Lake.

Terror Lake

Finally, we have a lake whose name shall be censored for this post. There are two potential reasons for naming this body of water N***** Lake. 1) the lake is dark in color 2) the lake was discovered by an African-American and at the time, it was common practice to honor such an individual by naming it thus. Decades later, this lake was renamed ‘Negro Lake’.

N***** Lake

Santa Monica Pier Buoy Data {NDBC}

The water level rose about 2.25 feet above normal at the Santa Monica Pier around 12:20pm PST. The green line represents the observed water level. The cause: a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile 13 hours prior. Although parts of Hawaii were evacuated, no damage was reported in the state. The only (minor) damage thus far in the U.S. has been in the Ventura/Santa Barbara, California area. In that area, it was the 10th set of waves that were the largest. Interestingly, the surge in these parts of California was nearly as high as that in Hawaii. From the NWS:

LOCATION                   LAT    LON     TIME        AMPL
 ------------------------  -----  ------  -------     -----------
 SANTA MONICA  CA          34.0N  118.5W  2024UTC     0.64M/2.1FT
 SANTA MONICA  CA          34.0N  118.5W  2022UTC     0.71M/2.3FT
 SANTA BARBARA  CA         34.4N  119.7W  2252UTC     0.72M/2.3FT

Low pressure on the West Coast {HPC}

Very low pressure (for the West Coast at least) this morning at LAX. Hopefully millions of people won’t have headaches due to the phenomenon:

...PRELIMINARY RECORD LOWEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AT LOS ANGELES
 INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...

 AT 820 AM PST...THE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL
 AIRPORT FELL TO 29.20 INCHES OF MERCURY...OR 988.8 MB. THIS BREAKS
 THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOWEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE READING OF 29.25
 INCHES...OR 990.6 MB...SET ON JANUARY 17TH 1988. IT IS LIKELY THAT
 THE PRESSURE WILL FALL EVEN FURTHER THROUGH THE MORNING...AND THE
 RECORD WILL CONTINUE TO MONITORED.

 PRESSURE DATA RECORDS AT LOS ANGELES AIRPORT DATE BACK TO 1931.

Perhaps the cutest Google ad ever, as seen on allAfrica.com

World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, has designed a very effective 300×250 ad (pictured above). Just look at the cute red bow and floppy ears! Better yet, you can donate this goat to a family in need for only $75. Goats provide multiple benefits:

Goats nourish hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt. Goats also give a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market.

Or, the most adventurous souls can spend $3,090 for a pig, a donkey, a dairy cow, a goat, an alpaca, 10 chickens, a sheep, two oxen and plow, a trio of dairy animals, 10 ducks, a pair of goats, and a fishing kit.

FORECASTS INDICATE THAT A TSUNAMI WITH AMPLITUDES IN THE RANGE
OF 20 TO 65CM IS EXPECTED ALONG THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON COAST.
TSUNAMIS OF THIS AMPLITUDE CAN GENERATE STRONG CURRENTS DANGEROUS
TO THOSE VERY NEAR OR IN THE OCEAN. THE TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED TO
BUILD AND REACH ITS MAXIMUM APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF HOURS
AFTER THE INITIAL ARRIVAL. TSUNAMI ARRIVAL TIMES AND OTHER
AMPLITUDE FORECASTS ARE LISTED IN THE WEB SITE BELOW.

The wave is currently speeding across the ocean after causing a 5 foot deluge of water at Pago Pago, American Samoa.

The last image from the webcam shows plenty of smoke {Mt. Wilson Tower Cam 1:49pm PDT}

Update (Tuesday 9:00pm PDT): Most of the danger has passed.

Update (Tuesday 2:30pm PDT): Three days later and Mt. Wilson is still fighting back. The mountain’s webserver was recently knocked out by firefighters clearing flammables on the ground. Things don’t look good on the Mt. Wilson Towercam’s final image , but the smoke is from backburning on the north side. The situation has stabilized somewhat today and the main threat is only coming from one side. Firefighters have returned to the summit:

Firefighters are setting backfires on the drought-stricken north side of Mt. Wilson to reduce the risk of flames and protect the observatory and communications towers atop the 5,700-foot peak.

Earlier today, wind-fueled flames were beginning to move the very flank now being back-burned.

“Their goal is to blacken the edges and reduce the chances that fire will rush the facilities. They are also increasing their defensible space,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ray Dombroski.

The so-called “Station Fire” is only 5% contained and could potentially burn in a path toward the famed Mt. Wilson:

Firefighters are also keeping an eye on Mt. Wilson, which is six to eight miles east of the fire. “That’s several days out. It gives us an opportunity to prepare and defend the Mt. Wilson site,” said L.A. County Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Powers, an incident commander. {L.A. Times Blog}

Apart from pristine wilderness and spectacular views of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Mt. Wilson antenna site is home to 13 FM radio antennas and all L.A. TV antennas, plus crucial communications relays. At an average antenna height of 6,000 feet above sea level, 5,500 feet above metropolitan Los Angeles, and 3000 feet above average terrain, this is a superpower site, with typical coverage footprints of 5,000 square miles. The television stations here also have incredible reach because of the height of the site, along with very high effective radiated powers.

NBC Los Angeles has added insight:

Loss of communications facilities there would cripple fire and police departments across Southern California, which not only use mountaintop transmitters to communicate in the field but in many cases relay signals from other mountaintop sites back to dispatch centers via microwave facilities that are now threatened.

“There are extremely-crucial to the infrastructure and public safety protection, and the daily lives in the L.A. basin,” Dietrich said.

Nearly all of the 22 Los Angeles TV stations transmit from those sites, and more than two-thirds of the region’s FM radio stations broadcast from there as well.

“If Mount Wilson goes out, this news conference is done, because we won’t have any telecommunications,” Powers said.

Regardless, a Google Map designed to help the public track the fire has been set up by the L.A. Times. For whatever reason, Mt. Wilson is depicted by a volcano – exactly what we don’t want to see.

Initial fire map (8/29)

Current fire map (9/1)

Mt. Wilson at night during better times {voiceguy82}

Unfortunately, the area will be closed to the public for some time.