hokiehunter Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) Whew! My sister was at Brownies Beach along the Calvert Cliffs today when the earthquake hit. Luckily she and her kids were on the flat portion of the beach away from the cliffs during the quake. She said she watched several huge sections come down to the south. I was freaking out until I could reach her. For those that hunt there you can imagine what a nightmare it would be to be standing under the cliffs during a good shake like we just had. It's something you think about but dismiss because earthquakes never happen around DC.... Yeah right... Hopefully no one else was playing hooky and standing near any of the falls. Crazy... Edited August 23, 2011 by hokiehunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Jason, glad to hear your sister and kids weren't further south along the dangerous stretch of cliffs. Might not be safe there for a few days if there are aftershocks. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokiehunter Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 Agree. Some sections freak me out on a perfect day so I imagine between the earthquake and the hurricane due to hit this weekend the cliffs are gonna be a mess for a few weeks to come. The good news is apparently some new material down and a hurricane still to come. Should improve collecting for the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernMdRan Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Wow, this is crazy. I'm actually checking this site as a local news website reports that some of the cliffs near brownie beach have collapsed. This event holds interest to me as my GF and I are avid semi-serious shark tooth hunters (somewhat hard core hunting over the last 15 months have netted about 9000 teeth between the two of us). I work at the Pax River Naval Air base to the south, and was in a 5 story building (I was on the 3rd floor) and it was intense for about 5-10 seconds there. The word surreal comes to mind as I recall the short-lived scene: I was walking amongst the cubes, so it took me a few seconds to register what was happening. Many started reacting immediately, particularly the female workers there (not a condemnation, more a recognition of their practical self-preservation tendancies). There were some screams...some immediately heading toward the stairwells and paths out of the building. I, more shocked at what I witnessed, struggled with processing the reality that here in the mid Atlantic I had just experienced a non-trivial earthquake. I walked back to my cube in the ensuing seconds...commiserating with my fellow avionics engineers as to what we actually just experienced. I have been aware of 2+ richter quakes in southern Maryland in the past few years - most only detectable by moving office plant leaves. This was different...actual shaking of the floor. Before we could decide if it made sense to stay around, fire alarms sounded and a recorded voice advised that a "fire emergency" had just occurred. Of course, this was being announced because there is no earthquate emergency canned announcement available. The building of about 2000-3000 evacuated, and after a while I decided to just head home in central Calvert to check for damage. Only finding a toppled motorcycle model and champagne bottle in the fridge, I relaxed a bit. I suspected more based on what I had felt...and my house and it's contents is as non-earthquate proof as it gets. Anyway...this is all ironic...and I can say this as it appears that no one was hurt significantly or suffered damage...but I had been focusing on the approaching hurricane Irene as a mechanism to shake loose some teeth/fossils this weekend. I'm on "aftershock" watch...keeping an eye on my dog and his reactions over the next few hours. Of course I don't expect anything, but I didn't expect a 5.9 in the mid Atlantic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I was sitting here at my desk when I first felt it start. Initially I thought it was a piece of machinery driving by. Then it got faster and more intense. I looked over at the walls to see them waving back and forth. Shook us pretty good down here in E NC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyersfan805 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I can tell you here in Richmond we got pounded. Most buildings evacuated, it was instant and there was no doubt what was going on. Sounded like an airplane landing on the roof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 i was sitting in the living room with my wife. We both looked at each other saying, without speaking, what the heck is going on. It shook everything pretty good. Freaky I had just got in from going and checking out the exposure at Hayward Creek.Found a few shells, a skate tooth and another tooth I am going to post for ID. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life 42 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 My office is about 40 miles southeast of the epicenter. After my stomach crawled out of my throat I managed to contact my hubby and the kids..... his first response - "I bet this shook some fossils lose in the creek". Well between this an the impending hurricane Irene we are hoping to have a decent haul for hunting trips. I hope all those who collect around the cliffs stay safe and when its clear to get back to business may you find an abundance of fossils. ...I'd rather be digging...Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 My office is about 40 miles southeast of the epicenter. After my stomach crawled out of my throat I managed to contact my hubby and the kids..... his first response - "I bet this shook some fossils lose in the creek". Well between this an the impending hurricane Irene we are hoping to have a decent haul for hunting trips. I hope all those who collect around the cliffs stay safe and when its clear to get back to business may you find an abundance of fossils. and speaking of hurricane Irene the latest projected landfall and path will take it right over my part of eastern nc. but, thats life here in the east. been through quite a few of them Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I heard on the news some fishermen at the pier on Chesapeake Beach looked down toward the cliffs and saw a big cloud of dust. I was wondering if anyone was out there yesterday. Glad that they're OK Hokie. Hopefully if anyone else was out there that they are OK too. Pretty scary stuff. You have to wonder how unstable the cliffs may be for awhile even after all of the aftershocks are done, and they can last for weeks. I heard also on the news this morning that there was a confirmed 4.2 aftershock at 8 PM last night. Anyone else hear that? We were fishing for bass along the Potomac and a huge tree came down on the VA side, I wonder if that was a coincidence or a result of the aftershock...I personally didn't feel anything. I was sitting here at my desk when I first felt it start. Initially I thought it was a piece of machinery driving by. Then it got faster and more intense. I looked over at the walls to see them waving back and forth. Shook us pretty good down here in E NC. I had a similar experience in an office meeting. We were on the 4th floor and it felt like the building was going to come down. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 So I was thinking of driving down Friday night. What do you think? Should I cancel my trip? I've been through enough earthquakes that they don't really scare me much, but being burried in an avalanche still scares me a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 So I was thinking of driving down Friday night. What do you think? Should I cancel my trip? I've been through enough earthquakes that they don't really scare me much, but being burried in an avalanche still scares me a bit Scylla, if your plan is to collect along the cliffs on Sat, you might rethink your plans. There's a 70% to %80 chance of rain/thunder storms on Sat, likely due to the Hurricane coming our way which will be in our area sometime over the weekend I think. The tides are going to be higher than normal, so there won't be much beach to look at, and when this happens, folks have the natural tendency to walk real close to the cliffs where the waves are less and water is shallow, but it is more danagerous there. You could always go to Flag Ponds state park where there are no cliffs, but you can still find teeth. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I have the whole week off, so If Sat is rainy, I'll wait for that beautiful clear weather that always follows a hurricaine I never found much at Flag Ponds, what was I doin wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Please, be careful. No mineral or fossil will be worth a life. Don't take risk ! Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokiehunter Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 So I was thinking of driving down Friday night. What do you think? Should I cancel my trip? I've been through enough earthquakes that they don't really scare me much, but being burried in an avalanche still scares me a bit Between the quake and the hurricane you couldn't pay me enough to get near the cliffs on Saturday or Sunday. I've hunted there over 100 times and I've had several close calls on beautiful dead calm days. Between the new material that the earth quake loosened, the wind and rain expected today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, and the much higher tides expected the cliffs area is a deadly accident waiting to happen right now and that is no overstatement. Give them a few days to "shake" out after the storm and you'll do much better. The water will be much clearer and the fossils will have a chance to organize themselves in the wash. Besides the tides probably won't even allow you to hunt until Sunday afternoon at earliest and even then I bet the bay is still waaaay high. I doubt you'll even have a beach on Saturday and most of Sunday maybe even into Monday. Just my two cents. I'm not even considering going out until after Tuesday or Wednesday myself based on the current forecast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Scylla, Flag Ponds has nice fossils, you just gotta work a bit harder sometimes for them. Bring a box screen with 1/4" size mesh. Walk along the wash zone and scoop up a shovel full or two here and there. Your almost certain to be finding some decent shark teeth. You can walk to the "right" (south) for a couple hundred yards, then can't go any further because of the Nuclear Power Plant "No Trespassing" signs. Most folks have decent luck going to the left (north) and walking as far as they can - the teeth seem to be bigger up that way for some reason. By the way, we had our fourth "Aftershock" around 1:30am this morning and it was a 4.2, so things are still a bit shaky. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I couldn't agree more about the advice given above. The fossils will keep turning up later on after things settle down anyway (tides and aftershocks). Aftershocks can happen for weeks too, so even if you wait a while and go, be very alert about what's going on around you, more now than ever. It's very easy to get lulled into a fossil hunting trance by the gentle slap of the Bay waves and ignore possible danger around you. It might also be a good day to break out the hard hat when you do go. Kevin Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkbiteinc Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Wow...I had thought about going to Brownies after the earthquake, assuming new material had fallen. With the hurricane blowing in...I am going to go up there Wednesday and check the area out. Even on a nice day, it is still a freaky feeling to be under those cliffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Good advice. I think were're delaying the trip till tuesday so we can wait out the storm at home. The hurricaine looks like it will hit us dead-on as a cat 1. Then I can shopvac out the basement, fix the broken windows and then head for the leftover teeth down south Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brachiomyback Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I remember when a cliff section fell during a guiding hunt by Cowsharks with my brother and I around Calverts. Daryl informed us that the recent rains made the potential for “material” falls to be greater. As a result, we kept more of a watchful “eye” above us. To my brother’s shock a massive section eroded off and came crashing on a previous material pile about 50 feet away from him. There was another fossil hunter proximate to my brother who was ON THIS PILE LITERALLY 10 MINUTES before the section of cliff fell on it. My brother later told me that the individual looked back at him and no words we spoken. My brother said his face had the expression like “I’m just going to forget that just happened”. I'll never forget that sound when it hit the ground. That was my brother's first fossil hunt and after the "fall" I kept telling him to get "back" more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I remember when a cliff section fell during a guiding hunt by Cowsharks with my brother and I around Calverts. Daryl informed us that the recent rains made the potential for "material" falls to be greater.... Brad, I remember that morning like it was yesterday because of the massive downpour we got as we met at the gas station. Good thing I had extra waders for your brother. That was one of those days when all your senses had to be extra alert in case you needed to suddenly dash out into the water further away from the cliffs - assuming you would hear something in all that rain. If I remember correctly you found a decent hemi along with some little stuff. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkbiteinc Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I remember when a cliff section fell during a guiding hunt by Cowsharks with my brother and I around Calverts. Daryl informed us that the recent rains made the potential for “material” falls to be greater. As a result, we kept more of a watchful “eye” above us. To my brother’s shock a massive section eroded off and came crashing on a previous material pile about 50 feet away from him. There was another fossil hunter proximate to my brother who was ON THIS PILE LITERALLY 10 MINUTES before the section of cliff fell on it. My brother later told me that the individual looked back at him and no words we spoken. My brother said his face had the expression like “I’m just going to forget that just happened”. I'll never forget that sound when it hit the ground. That was my brother's first fossil hunt and after the "fall" I kept telling him to get "back" more. Wow...very scary. It appears that the picture was taken south of Brownies...maybe in the Randle Cliffs area. There are many parts of the cliff where you look up and wonder what is holding that section up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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