www.CostaRicaTicas.com

just got a call from the masseuse at sportsmens lodge. everything is fine and running normal.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

What happened? All the fat chicas at HDR jump all at once...?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/stor ... 57601984/1

Some video... Glad to hear all is well with everyone in Costa Rica.

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Thank you for supporting CRT!

Hope all our CRT brothers living or visiting CR are OK!!!

mh

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mh

CRT hint #7864-5
Watch out for earthquake related RFM,s

From what I gather there were no deaths?

People can fix the busted stuff

Heard from BangBang57 in San Pedro he said the quake lasted 70 seconds... still had power and internet though phone not so good.

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Why settle for just one woman when you can enjoy them all?

Haven't been to Costa Rica since last year. What's been shakin'?

Here's a good initial account, including some information on the Pacific coast impact.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/05/world/americas/05reuters-costarica-quake.html?_r=1&ref=world

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It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

apparently they all farted at once

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I die on the day I can't nut 5 times a day.

Hope every one is safe and hoping for fewer aftershocks.

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I die on the day I can't nut 5 times a day.

I live in San Ramon, about 50 miles from the epicenter, and it caused little to no damage in this area although it was quite a ride, second only to the 6.3 we had much closer about 3 1/2 years ago. I think the depth of this quake, 25 miles, made the damage much lighter than had it been a much shallower quake.

I also made a trip to the airport today a few hours after and saw only one small landslide with a few rocks in the road that may have been from the earthquake OR from the heavy rain last night, take your pick. Spoke to two police officers at the airport and they said there was hardly any damage in the Central Valley, just minor stuff like Chi-trekker spoke of. The airport was running normally with no delays and roads were fine and even a bit empty as Ticos love to use an earthquake as an excuse to go home early.

For anyone planning to come into San Jose, no problems. I haven't even felt an aftershock all day although there have been some small ones, in the 4.4 to 4.6 range which is really nothing to be concerned about. However, if you plan to be in the Guanacaste area like Liberia, you might want to check with your hotel to make sure they had no significant damage as there are some reports in certain areas of damage. I am making a trip from San Ramon to San Jose to Manuel Antonio tomorrow and don't think there is any damage in any of those areas according to reports but if I see any, I'll report it here.

And by the way, if anyone was thinking of buying Mel Gibson's ranch, now might be a good time as the quake epicenter was very close to it. He's asking almost $30 million but you might get a good deal after this episode!

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The only thing that matters is happiness in all it forms...

PVT wrote: "I think the depth of this quake, 25 miles, made the damage much lighter than had it been a much shallower quake. "

Steve, that's no doubt what saved CR in this 7+ terremoto. Wikipedia says the quake 2010 Haiti (size of Maryland) was 7.0 at a depth of 8.1 miles and killed 90,000 to 316,000, depending on who you believe, 300,000 injured, 1,000,0000 homeless, billion+ in damages, $100 million US Govt foreign aid alone, not to mention other govt's or private aid.

I will interested in reading the scientific data on this one re: why it occurred so deep (though the area was predicted for along time now) and what is the predictability/likelihood of another strong one occuring at a higher elevation, if that's the word.

Using plate tectonics as a model to explain what happened...
The Cocos plate (in the Pacific) subducts at the middle America trench (just off the coast of the Nicoya peninsula) in a northeasterly direction, and at a very steep angle and rapid rate (8 - 9 cm/yr). The Cocos plate slips under the Central American volcanic arc and the Caribbean plate. The sliding between the plates causes the upper Caribbean plate to bend and stress until it finally snaps and breaks causing vertical displacement (the quake). Because the subducting plate enters at a very steep angle, the failure (epicenter) occurs at relatively greater depths. The tough basaltic bedrock underlying the Nicoya Peninsula probably absorbed a lot of force (and helped minimize the damage to the mainland). I would say that the rapid rate of subduction at the Middle America trench probably means that the whole cycle will be repeated again soon (geologically speaking ). I'm no expert, so I will defer to the pros.
Meanwhile, monger on and enjoy the gulch, guys.

It has long been acknowledged that the depth of the occurrence can have a major effect on the damage that occurs. However, to compare the damage in Haiti to damage from yesterdays quake in Costa Rica and come to the conclusion that it was due to depth is not totally accurate. The construction standards in Costa Rica while they may pale as compared to the codes in use in earthquake prone areas like LA they certainly are far superior to what is found in Haiti. Just looking at the pictures of the devastation in Hatti and seeing how most houses were just tin shacks with no plumbing it is easy to see why the loss of life was high.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

My tico cousin (who is the construction engineer for a number of projects in the valley and the Pacific Coast) claims it is the "seismic-resistant" construction standards that saved the buildings from greater damage.