The epicenter was near an area (Santiago Atitlan) that suffered a devastating mudslide a few years ago.

Ahhh crap...

I had China...

*tears up ticket*

..tick tick tick tiiiick...??

What? Did someone set a bomb near the wheel? Did Guatemala get blown up?

steelpeg: What? Did someone set a bomb near the wheel? Did Guatemala get blown up?

You need to watch more old "The Price is Right" and "Wheel of Fortune."

/showcase showdown!!!

A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala Sunday but there were no initial reports of victims or significant damage, as there are very few actual structures heavy enough to do significant damage

Roman Fyseek: A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala Sunday but there were no initial reports of victims or significant damage, as there are very few actual structures heavy enough to do significant damage

The other thing with magnitude though is that it doesn't directly scale to damage at all. The important thing is how much shaking happens at the surface, and that is affected by the location of the epicenter (how deep, etc) AND by the types of dirt/rock/whatever between it and the surface.

In Japan (and Taiwan, I believe) they tell you the magnitude but also have 震度(shindo in Japanese) which is "shaking amount," on a scale from 1 to 7. It's that number which is DEFINED by the amount of damages you get, and it can vary widely in a fairly small area. Usually after the quake there will be maps on TV showing the shaking amount for the area.

The Kobe quake in 1995 had widespread areas of "strong 6" and supposedly the utter worst probably qualified for a 7 (if you can see videos of that, it's crazy).

But sometimes the really strong shaking amount and damage can happen from a smaller magnitude quake that's just lucky to be located better, and a bigger quake produces less shaking at the surface, it depends.

Please somebody with talent make a flash cartoon of this headline.

+1 subby

It would work so much better if it said 'spins the Ring of Fire' :)

"Someone in Guatemala is coughing!"

"Shut...
DOWN...
EVERYTHING."


/oops, wrong meme.

I had Papua, New Guinea on my "7+ magnitude within a week" list last week. My prediction expires in a day or two.. It has actually been a very quiet period over the past few weeks aside from strange little ones in Newfoundland and Europe. The Earth was acting a little whacky with the swarms in Yellowstone and not-so-common quakes in places like Italy. Maybe we are going into a seismically quiet/normal phase? That would be nice. I was starting to get concerned about a big one looming.

Then again, a "big one" is always "looming" I suppose. I guess I mean I thought a really big one was eminent.

Wake me up when we start getting 12.0's.

Roman Fyseek: A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala Sunday but there were no initial reports of victims or significant damage, as there are very few actual structures heavy enough to do significant damage

when a three story building is 16 feet high, they dont weigh as much.

guatemalans: damn, they're short.

since when is the tick stretched out? it's the space between the ticks that gets elongated.

/just sayin

Roman Fyseek: A strong, 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala Sunday but there were no initial reports of victims or significant damage, as there are very few actual structures heavy enough to do significant damage

"....causing hundreds of dollars of damage"

crab66: Wake me up when we start getting 12.0's.

You'll be asleep for a while. This thing only goes up to 10.0

sinceyoudied2: since when is the tick stretched out?

We spun the wheel already? Don't we have to guess the cost of the damage or something first?

Brown people ?

sinceyoudied2: since when is the tick stretched out?

and here's a nice fruit bowl

Wheel of seismicity, turn turn turn, show us the city that we shall burn.

/got nothing

Subby, what are you a heathen or something!? The Lord thy God causes Earthquakes.

ActionJoe: crab66: Wake me up when we start getting 12.0's.

You'll be asleep for a while. This thing only goes up to 10.0

I've been to lake Atitlan, probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I hope there are no deaths and damage because Guatamalans certainly don't need more s*** in their lives.

ActionJoe: crab66: Wake me up when we start getting 12.0's.

You'll be asleep for a while. This thing only goes up to 10.0


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463850/

Disagrees.. Say goodbye to California everyone.

12.0 is the sequel where Texas geologically secedes..

eiger: I've been to lake Atitlan, probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I hope there are no deaths and damage because Guatamalans certainly don't need more s*** in their lives.

Yep. The lake is fantastic. One of my best memories is taking a boat over to the town from Panajachel with a church group (while I still did the whole religion thing). The volcanoes were incredible.

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: sinceyoudied2: since when is the tick stretched out?

and here's a nice fruit bowl

Those berries sure look tast-OH MY GOD THAT'S DISGUSTING

crab66:

12.0 is the sequel where Texas geologically secedes..


GO 12!

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: and here's a nice fruit bowl

What in the HELL??

/scared now

A little stronger next time- the 7.5 quake in the 70s cracked the bed of Lake Atitlan, swallowing up enough water to make the lake drop over 6 feet. The locals were a wee bit confused.

/Beautiful area, beautiful people
//Too bad it has a mega-disaster every decade

ShelleBele: A little stronger next time- the 7.5 quake in the 70s cracked the bed of Lake Atitlan, swallowing up enough water to make the lake drop over 6 feet. The locals were a wee bit confused.


/has been to guat

meh.. had 3 or 4 quakes within the last few weeks rattling us here in LA. one near the northridge quake and 3 in yorba linda. the lull in socal since northridge is gone. looking like another active quake period

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears:


/has been to guat

Been as well. Not everyone got the memo on why the lake was dropping. Took a few days/weeks for the full explanation to spread. Or so said my guide.

Wheel of Catastrophe, turn turn turn...
Tell us the next place that's gonna burn

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: sinceyoudied2: since when is the tick stretched out?

and here's a nice fruit bowl

eiger: I've been to lake Atitlan, probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I hope there are no deaths and damage because Guatamalans certainly don't need more s*** in their lives.



Fact,nice folks and a beautiful area.

Guatemalan buildings...C'MON DOWN!

Whenever I see something about an earthquake below like 6.5 I can't be bothered to be hold any interest in it.

/lived through a 6.8 where no one died

Seandave: Guatemalan buildings...C'MON DOWN!

Awesome. :-)

It wasn't that bad.

/Guatemalan

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears: ry buil

Right... I'm 6'2" my youngest brother is 6'5", my second son is 6'4". Practically midgets!

ritalinchild 54: eiger: I've been to lake Atitlan, probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I hope there are no deaths and damage because Guatamalans certainly don't need more s*** in their lives.



Fact,nice folks and a beautiful area.

Thank you, we like you too! :-)

Seandave: Guatemalan buildings...C'MON DOWN!

yeah lol.... Bob Barker salutes you

+1 subby

65 miles deep. That means even if you are right over it it is 65 miles away. Not a huge deal.

baka-san: Ahhh crap...

I had China...

*tears up ticket*

I had California. The bookie said it was a "sure thing".

Very well done, subby. Evokes a nice image of just how farking indiscriminate (or at least dispassionate) terror, heartbreak, and catastrophe really are.

But hey, if God didn't have a plan for me, I wouldn't have been the one to survive that plane crash, right? Unlike the poor dumb bastards sitting in front of me...

When did Guatemala allow gay marriage?

Stay Cool Babylon: Evokes a nice image of just how farking indiscriminate (or at least dispassionate) terror, heartbreak, and catastrophe really are.

It's the universe; a vast, uncaring place that wants nothing more than to kill you, and it will get it's way.

Nothing Sweeter Than Redneck Tears:

and here's a nice fruit bowl


(shakes tiny fist)
Bastard!

The most beautiful woman I've ever seen in person was from Guatemala. I think she was half Asian, though.