Brian,

You're so right, but you know what, when other people ask for answers and you don't "know" then the best thing to do is to ask the professionals.

I'd love to have one of those little books, "Quakes for Dummies" and find a lot of cool facts about quake behavior. I bet John and Chris could do one. How large of an earthquake does it take to tip over a water heater? What type of seismic wave will move a house off of its foundation? Does a subduction earthquake feel the same as a strike slip earthquake when you're standing on the ground above it? Sort of like late night musing. :-)

Petra