6.1 earthquake in Costa Rica

Nah, that's in the moderate range.

glad you're ok!

how are Harry and Fiona handling it?

Well, here you go. There are reports of after shocks they just aren't being shown on the USGS site for some reason:

Strong earthquake rocks Costa Rica
58 minutes ago

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) " A strong earthquake shook Costa Rica on Thursday, shattering windows, cracking walls and sending frightened residents running into the streets of the capital.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude temblor was centered 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of the capital of San Jose in the early afternoon, near the Poas Volcano national park.

The quake's depth was measured at 28 miles (35 kilometers).

Local TV station Teletica showed broken windows, fallen ceiling panels and cracked walls in the city of Alajuela, north of the capital. Teletica said the quake was felt strongly throughout the small Central American country.

Security Minister Jeanina del Vecchio urged people to remain calm while authorities surveyed areas to see if there was major damage.

Thousands of people ran from homes and shopping centers, frightened by the quake. The quake triggered small landslides outside the capital, and cell phone service was interrupted briefly.

There were at least four aftershocks.

Oy that's not good. Too many earthquakes lately.
I am glad you're okay, Robert. How are the animals behaving?

Here in CA, we have had our share of earthquakes but it never fails to be a
nerve wrecking experience - every time it happens, I panic.

I think they only report beyond a certain magnitude. I'm sure these are tremors (just had a one of the bigger ones a second ago) and the building is sound (no glass broke to give you an idea). It's only a 3-story apartment and the people who built it are still inside the building (they are building another building next to it). When they leave I'll leave. I figure the architect and construction workers know as well as anyone can about the building's integrity.

We took Harry with us when the building evacuated, he's been barking like mad but I really think it's just because all the other dogs are out and about.

Fiona just came out of hiding and seemed a bit frightened but she's fine as well.

Reuters account indicates a bit more serious situation than some other accounts:

Strong quake hits Costa Rica leaving one dead
Thu Jan 8, 2009 10:03pm GMT
By John McPhaul

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck Costa Rica on Thursday, killing at least one child and injuring several people as it damaged buildings in the capital and shook nearby volcanoes.

The quake of magnitude 6.1 triggered landslides in rural areas and damaged a highway near a national volcano park.

Costa Rican media said two children selling candies to tourists on the Poas volcano were buried in a landslide on a volcano and at least one was dead. Several other people were reported hurt in a village northwest of San Jose.

"I was very frightened. First I got underneath an arch support and then, when it calmed down, I got out of the house," said lawyer Michael Henreichs, 35, in San Jose.

The quake's epicentre was 20 miles (32 km) from San Jose at a depth of 21.7 miles (35 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said, and caused shaking for some 40 seconds.

Pieces of ceiling fell off homes in the capital and a group of tourists was reportedly stranded on a damaged road.

Local television showed buildings with shattered windows and damaged walls, but emergency services officials had no reports of serious injuries or deaths.

Earthquakes above magnitude 6 on the Richter scale can cause widespread damage in populated areas. Thursday's quake was initially measured at 6.2.

The tremor cut off power to some parts of San Jose and some businesses evacuated employees. Images from a TV studio showed ceiling lights swaying from side to side.

The National Coffee Institute (ICAFE) said it had no reports of major damage to the country's coffee farms.

Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination due to its lush natural parks, volcanoes and rich wildlife, but like the rest of Central America it is prone to natural disasters.

Dan Whitlock, an American in Costa Rica to do missionary work, said the earthquake was so strong that guests at his hotel stumbled as they ran out.

"I was outside and all of a sudden I could see the whole building shaking. You could see the pool water moving like a tsunami," he said.

(Additional reporting by Robert Campbell and Noel Randewich; Writing by Catherine Bremer, Editing by Anthony Boadle)
http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFTRE5076R420090108?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

In 2004 for the 5.2 that hit San Diego I was over 20 stories up. Being that high in a building amplifies the shaking significantly and even large furniture fell over. That one spooked me a bit extra for being that far off the ground when it hit.

But nothing I've seen compares to one we had as a kid in Japan. We were outside on a road and were told to fall in line when the quake hit. We could actually see the waves in the line as the kids at the front got taller and then it would come towards us in waves.

Earthquakes don't feel like waves but when you can actually see the undulation like that it gets scary. Makes you feel helpless when the whole world is moving like a towel someone is shaking.

Biggest shock so far just hit a minute ago.

Interesting. How old where you when you experienced the quake in Japan?
I remember the 5.2 in San Diego and I recall that my daughter who was
8 years old at the time, slept right through it, but I always wondered how
children perceive the quakes and how they work through it in their mind.
Do you remember?

Actually though I do not want anyone to incur injury, death, or property damage to satisfy my curiosity, I have always wanted to experience an earthquake--just a little one please--and never have. You would think after spending significant time in California and Nevada we would have had a bit of a quake, but so far nada. Even here in New Mexico there are occasional tremors strong enough to feel, but never where I happen to be at the time.

I've never read an account by anybody that I think fully describes what an earthquake must feel like.

I remember quakes from a very early age. The first I remember was at night as was strong enough to wake everyone up. I remember doors opening and closing on cupboards and making a lot of racket.

The time I was in line I was about 10. That was most notable to me because it was the first time it felt like undulating instead of shaking (in an outdoor open area).

In most cases a quake of this magnitude feels just like the shock wave from a large explosion, except it doesn't just go past you in a second like you expect from an explosion and then you know it's an earthquake.

Robert, have somebody check plaster, glass & panels. It seems to me, by the pictures, and your recount of fallen things, quite a damage for a 6.3.

If it's a little one, it equals to no experience.
If it's a biggie, it's not an experience I'd reccommend.

How long do they last.... does it vary much?

I have been in 2 - San Jose in CA (Milpitas) - our apartment wobbled as it was built on landfill..... and GREECE.... where everything shook badly but one kidlet didnt even wake up - it was quite loud... but nothing to make a song and dance about. Just an experience to remember. They both only lasted a matter of seconds.

I've been in two - a shaker and an undulater. The undulating ones are weird!

Mo was about 5 week old and spending the night with us (it would be another year and a half before he moved in permenantly) and he was very sick that night. I had rolled out a futon in the guest room and had stayed up all night getting advice from KAK on Abuzz and fretting because I couldn't find Mo's parents. That morning I had laid down on the futon next to Mo when the floor started "waving". I thought it was just because I was so tired that my head wasn't making sense. Then Mr. B came in and said "Did you feel that?"

Then it happened again.

It only lasted for several seconds but it was the strangest thing.

This is one of Mo's favorite bedtime stories!

The pictures might look worse than it is but I'm selling the place so I need it looked at anyway.

The building is new (1 year old now) and hasn't fully finished settling. There were already some small paint cracks from the building settling that expanded and only in one spot did some chunks of plaster come loose. Most of what you see in the picture is just paint flakes.

The good news is, the original construction team is still on location, we live in the first of three buildings they have planned and they already owed me a paint job.