Individual Event Report
| Event #430 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs |
First cataloged by Berg and Baker, and based on the Oregonian account:
"Earth Trembles Twice --'Gravitational Attraction is McNulty's Theory' -- Some Say Buildings Swayed, Others Believe They Bounced and Dishes Rattled
Two slight earth tremors were felt in Portland at 4:23 PM yesterday. The intensity of the shocks was not great enough to do damage. Residents in various sections of the city reported that they were somewhat alarmed by the consecutive tremors. The compass of the disturbances was confined to Portland and its suburbs in the Willamette Valley. Reports from Ashland, Marshfield, Salem, Astonia, and Baker City, Or., and Hoquiam, Wash., were that no disturbances were felt at those points....
The shocks were felt with greater force by the occupants of the upper lofts of downtown office buildings. A few seconds intervened between the tremors. The second was more forceful and continued several seconds. Many who were observant of the phenomena asserted that the buildings swayed to and fro. Others averted that the buildings "bounced" upward and downward. Occupants of dwellings on Portland Heights apparently felt the vibration keenly. Dishes clattered on shelves and the staid countenances of family relatives that adorned the walls of the homes responded to the antics of Mother Earth." |
| TIME |
LOCATION |
MAGNITUDE |
MAX. INTENSITY |
FELT AREA |
| YR |
MO |
DAY |
HR |
MIN |
AM/PM |
Time
Type |
LAT(N) |
LON(W) |
DEP
(km) |
MAG |
Mag
Type |
Felt
Plc. |
Felt
St. |
Inten-
sity |
Int.
Type |
Felt
Area |
Felt
Area
Int. |
Felt
Area
Units |
| 1909 |
12 |
30 |
4 |
23 |
P |
P |
45.53 |
122.62 |
|
|
|
Portland |
OR |
IV |
MM |
|
|
|
| BB - 1339 |
WWC - 1771 |
- |
- |
BB - 1339 |
- |
Underlying Source Material
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1339 |
Berg and Baker, 1963, Oregon Earthquakes, 1841 through 1958, BSSA, V. 53, No. 1, pp. 95-108 |
1963 |
|
| Transcription: 1909 Dec 31 00:23:-- Dec 30 4:23 pm (PST) Portland IV O/Dec 31, 1909 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 110 |
Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476 |
1967 |
|
| Transcription: 110 1909 Dec. 31 00:23 Portland, Ore. IV 3 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1771 |
Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished |
1981 |
Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. |
| Transcription: 190912310023000 45535-122620W IV R 4 01 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 2083 |
Leslie M. Scott, Memoranda of the Files of the Oregonian 1850-1910, Oregon Historical Society |
1910 |
Unpublished index to the Oregonian |
| Transcription: at Portland, 4:23 p.m. Dec. 30, 1909; 4:45 p.m. Feb. 7, 1910; 4 p.m., Feb. 15, 1910; Mar. 22, 1914 |
| |
| Source ID |
Publication |
Pub Date |
Pub Details |
| 1976 |
Oregonian |
1909 |
December 31, 1909; pg 9, col 3 |
Transcription: Earth Trembles Twice
"Gravitational Attraction is McNulty's Theory"
Some Say Buildings Swayed, Others Believe They Bounced and Dishes Rattled
Two slight earth tremors were felt in Portland at 4:23 PM yesterday. The intensity of the shocks was not great enough to do damage. Residents in various sections of the city reported that they were somewhat alarmed by the consecutive tremors. The compass of the disturbances was confined to Portland and its suburbs in the Willamette Valley. Reports from Ashland, Marshfield, Salem, Astonia, and Baker City, Or., and Hoquiam, Wash., were that no disturbances were felt at those points.
John McNulty, nautical expert in charge of the local branch of the U. S. Hydrographic Service, assigned the quakes to "gravitational attraction". The highest tides of the season will be registered today. This fact, combined with the proximity of the earth to the sun and the distance of the moon, add probability to the theory.
The shocks were felt with greater force by the occupants of the upper lofts of downtown office buildings. A few seconds intervened between the tremors. The second was more forceful and continued several seconds. Many who were observant of the phenomena asserted that the buildings swayed to and fro. Others averted that the buildings "bounced" upward and downward. Occupants of dwellings on Portland Heights apparently felt the vibration keenly. Dishes clattered on shelves and the staid countenances of family relatives that adorned the walls of the homes responded to the antics of Mother Earth. |
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