Hi Brian,

Most people who experience illusions are convinced that what they saw or sensed was real. Rational people can be convinced otherwise - and, from what I know of you, you are quite rational.

Though it's possible I'm mistaken, or have misunderstood what I've read, it's my understanding that no earthquake motions produce waves of an amplitude and speed combination that can be seen. Since quake motions are very accurately recorded in three dimensions by instrumentation, I don't see how such motions could have been missed by the instrumentation.

I've had a similar experience to yours. I was sitting in my office some 25 miles from the epicenter of the San Simeon quake when it occurred. I looked up to the walls and could have sworn I saw them bowing in and out - deflecting so much that I was certain that the fairly brittle drywall was going to disintegrate. After the quake I inspected them closely and there was not so much as a hairline crack in any of them. There is no way they could have flexed as much as I thought I saw them flex without them cracking.

Mike Williams
Arroyo Grande, CA U.S.