Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

I saw this posted on another site I frequent. Anyone here know anything
about this?

October 30, 2008
BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine—Meteorologists are baffled by rapid tidal changes
along the Maine coast, which damaged some boats and piers.

Witnesses say low tide turned and became high within a matter of minutes
on Tuesday afternoon. The changes occurred six or seven times. The
National Weather Service says reports from several locations indicated
that water levels fell and rose from 4 feet to as much as 12 feet during
the event.

In a public information statement, the weather service says the cause
"remains a mystery and may never be known."

It said significant rapid rises and falls in tide levels were observed
around 3 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Bristol. The statement
said rapid surges can be caused by the underwater movement of land, most
often due to an earthquake, or due to slumping of sediments along a
steep canyon or shelf, but no earthquakes were reported in the area Tuesday.

A similar event occurred on Jan. 9, 1926, in Bass Harbor, the statement
said.

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

On Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:22:48 -0400, hpeer wrote:

I saw this posted on another site I frequent. Anyone here know anything
about this?

October 30, 2008
BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine—Meteorologists are baffled by rapid tidal changes
along the Maine coast, which damaged some boats and piers.

Witnesses say low tide turned and became high within a matter of minutes
on Tuesday afternoon. The changes occurred six or seven times. The
National Weather Service says reports from several locations indicated
that water levels fell and rose from 4 feet to as much as 12 feet during
the event.

In a public information statement, the weather service says the cause
"remains a mystery and may never be known."

It said significant rapid rises and falls in tide levels were observed
around 3 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Bristol. The statement
said rapid surges can be caused by the underwater movement of land, most
often due to an earthquake, or due to slumping of sediments along a
steep canyon or shelf, but no earthquakes were reported in the area Tuesday.

A similar event occurred on Jan. 9, 1926, in Bass Harbor, the statement
said.


I can't speak for Maine but that is what happened during the sunami
here in Thailand. First the water goes out.... way out and then it
comes back with a vengeance. In protected areas there were what
appeared to be several rapid tide changes with essentially the usual
depth change, say 2-3 meters.

However, if that was what happened I'm surprised that the earthquake
people didn;t record a disturbance.

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct Address is bpaige125atgmaildotcom)

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

This is certainly the strangest confirmable marine event I've ever heard of.
More pictures he

http://www.wcsh6.com/includes/tools/...?storyid=95015

Damage is worse than any storm in memory. Since it's my former hometown, it
is especially interesting.

Local sources do not indicate any seismic activity but there may simply be a
lag in reporting. A similar but smaller surge was reported in Cundys
Harbor. Both places are similar in having configurations that could magnify
surge effects and also in that both are more active at this time of year
than other nearby areas where surge might simply not have been observed.

The Coast Guard says surge from a storm at sea but I give that no creedance.
The effects would be over a much larger area or these events would be more
common. My guess would be a large but slow underwater slide of bottom
sediments that didn't create much seismic vibration but sucked the water
down. It's still early though and more widespread damage reports may come
in. The geologists may also look back and find an event they would have
overlooked if not for the land reports.

Add another to my long list of reasons to prefer being anchored out than
tied to a dock.

It's not the first Boothbay Harbor mystery I've heard of. In 1973 (or close
to it), a small research vessel simply disappeared. Witnesses reported it
rounding Small Point at the proper time and one said they saw it turn around
and head back out. No radio calls, no debris, nothing.

--
Roger Long

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
This is certainly the strangest confirmable marine event I've ever heard
of. More pictures he

http://www.wcsh6.com/includes/tools/...?storyid=95015

Damage is worse than any storm in memory. Since it's my former hometown,
it is especially interesting.

Local sources do not indicate any seismic activity but there may simply be
a lag in reporting. A similar but smaller surge was reported in Cundys
Harbor. Both places are similar in having configurations that could
magnify surge effects and also in that both are more active at this time
of year than other nearby areas where surge might simply not have been
observed.

The Coast Guard says surge from a storm at sea but I give that no
creedance. The effects would be over a much larger area or these events
would be more common. My guess would be a large but slow underwater slide
of bottom sediments that didn't create much seismic vibration but sucked
the water down. It's still early though and more widespread damage
reports may come in. The geologists may also look back and find an event
they would have overlooked if not for the land reports.

Add another to my long list of reasons to prefer being anchored out than
tied to a dock.


What, anchored in the same stuff that's sliding?

Alisdair

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

On Sun, 2 Nov 2008 06:49:16 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

The Coast Guard says surge from a storm at sea but I give that no creedance.
The effects would be over a much larger area or these events would be more
common. My guess would be a large but slow underwater slide of bottom
sediments that didn't create much seismic vibration but sucked the water
down. It's still early though and more widespread damage reports may come
in. The geologists may also look back and find an event they would have
overlooked if not for the land reports.

I would conjecture that something like a large meteorite hitting the
water offshore could create a similar effect. The successive waves
of high and low water would be the outward spreading rings from the
impact, similar to that created by a stone thrown into the water. The
outer approaches to Boothbay Harbor may have served to focus and
intensify the waves in some way.

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

Wayne.B wrote:


I would conjecture that something like a large meteorite hitting the
water offshore could create a similar effect. The successive waves
of high and low water would be the outward spreading rings from the
impact, similar to that created by a stone thrown into the water. The
outer approaches to Boothbay Harbor may have served to focus and
intensify the waves in some way.

Good thought. Large meteorites aren't detectable by any means known to
modern man.

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

"Alisdair Gurney" wrote in
:

Damage is worse than any storm in memory. Since it's my former
hometown, it is especially interesting.

Local sources do not indicate any seismic activity but there may
simply be a lag in reporting. A similar but smaller surge was
reported in Cundys Harbor. Both places are similar in having
configurations that could magnify surge effects and also in that both
are more active at this time of year than other nearby areas where
surge might simply not have been observed.



It's got tsunami written all over it. There IS a history:

http://www.state.me.us/doc/nrimc/mgs...nami/jan05.htm

If it happened on 10/28/08 at 3PM mentioned in the article, I don't see
any USGS Atlantic activity near that date/time or hours before, in the
Atlantic, other than several strength 2-4 quakes in a cluster along the
S side of the trench N or Puerto Rico where the 5.5 quake happened
today.

There was a 5.5 underwater quake on the south side of the trench, in a
cluster of quakes over the last day or so just N of Puerto Rico, but the
times are all wrong.

NWS report is more accurate:
"PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
630 PM EST WED OCT 29 2008


....TUESDAY'S UNUSUAL TIDE FLUCTUATIONS ALONG THE MID-MAINE
COAST...

THE CAUSE OF YESTERDAY'S UNUSUAL TIDE FLUCTUATIONS ALONG THE
MID COAST OF MAINE REMAINS A MYSTERY...AND MAY NEVER BE KNOWN.
SIGNIFICANT RAPID RISES AND FALLS IN TIDE LEVELS WERE OBSERVED
AROUND 3 PM IN BOOTHBAY HARBOR, SOUTHPORT, AND BRISTOL. ONLY
VERY MINOR FLUCTUATIONS WERE NOTED AT TIDE GAUGES ALONG THE
COAST.

THERE ARE SEVERAL POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR YESTERDAY'S EVENT.
RAPID SURGES CAN BE CAUSED BY THE UNDERWATER MOVEMENT OF LAND,
MOST OFTEN DUE TO AN EARTHQUAKE, OR DUE TO THE SLUMPING OF
SEDIMENTS ALONG A STEEP CANYON OR SHELF. NO EARTHQUAKES WERE
REPORTED IN THE AREA YESTERDAY. IN RARE INSTANCES, LARGE AND
RAPID SURGES CAN BE GENERATED BY STORMS. IN EITHER CASE, THE
BATHYMETRY OF THE OCEAN FLOOR REFLECTS AND REFRACTS THE WAVE
ENERGY AND CAN CAUSES SIGNIFICANT VARIATIONS IN TIDE LEVELS
ALONG THE COAST...AND RAPID CHANGES IN TIDE LEVELS AT A
PARTICULAR LOCATION. THESE SURGES ARE QUITE UNLIKE THE MUCH
SLOWER SURGES NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH COASTAL STORMS.

EYE-WITNESS REPORTS FROM SEVERAL LOCATIONS INDICATED THAT WATER
LEVELS FELL AND ROSE FROM 4 FEET TO AS MUCH AS 12 FEET ALONG
THE COAST DURING THE EVENT. THESE RAPID CHANGES IN TIDAL
LEVELS GENERATED THE STRONG CURRENTS THAT DAMAGED PIERS AND
BOATS IN THE AREA.

ALTHOUGH THESE EVENTS ARE RARE ALONG THE MAINE COAST, THEY HAVE
OCCURRED IN THE PAST. ON JANUARY 9, 1926, AN EVENT SIMILAR TO
YESTERDAY'S EVENT WAS OBSERVED IN BASS HARBOR. DURING THAT
EVENT, THE HARBOR DRAINED RAPIDLY AND THEN WAS FOLLOWED BY A 10
FT SURGE OF WATER, FOLLOWED BY TWO OTHER SMALLER WAVES. THERE
WERE NO EARTHQUAKES REPORTED ON THAT DAY. NO ONE WAS INJURED
IN THAT EVENT BUT ABOUT 50 FISHING BOATS WERE HURLED ASHORE.

$$

JENSENIUS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
GRAY, MAINE

NNNN"

I found some good discussions with supporting maps and references on
this topic in this discussion group:

http://able2know.org/topic/124844-1

We who live so near the sea, do so in our peril in many more ways than
we envision......

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

Good thought. Large meteorites aren't detectable by any means known to
modern man.

One large enough to cause that sort of wave action would undoubtedly be
detectable on earthquake gear.

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

On Nov 2, 9:49�pm, "Bill Kearney" wrote:
Good thought. Large meteorites aren't detectable by any means known to
modern man.

One large enough to cause that sort of wave action would undoubtedly be
detectable on earthquake gear.

This reminds me of an incident that happened in Chicago on June 26,
1954. Yes, Chicago. While the Second City will never have a tsunami
hit, Lake Michigan does occasionally have what is known as seiche. A
seiche is a sudden, large type of wave that can cause loss of life and
property damage.

On The Lake, a seiche is usually caused by air pressure and wind, such
as when a storm front moves quickly across its surface. Strong
downbursts can cause one large wave or a series of large waves. The
wave or waves then travel across The Lake until the seiche get to
shore. There it can rebond and travel to the opposite shore...a ping
pong effect.

The largest seiche on record to strike the Illinois coast of Lake
Michigan reached a maximum height of 10 feet, caused lakeshore damage,
and drowned eight people.

During the sailing season here in Illinois, April through October,
small seiches regularly strike the shores of Lake Michigan. These
typically range in size from a few inches to one foot. NOAA issues
warnings to Lake Michigan boaters when conditions favoring a seiche
are present. However, in 1954, when the record-high seiche occurred,
no such warning was issued. The entire Illinois coast experienced a
wave 2-4 feet high at 9:30am on that Saturday. But at the North Avenue
beach, down to Montrose Harbor, the wave grew to a maximum height of
10 feet. An undetermined number of fishermen and swimmers were swept
into the water by the surge. Most were rescued but eight drowned.

This particular seiche was caused by a very severe squall line that
crossed southern Lake Michigan a few hours earlier. It's thought that
the storm generated winds up to 60 miles per hour. This sent a seiche
toward Michigan City, Indiana. There a 6-foot wave reached shore at
about 8:10 a.m. and was rebounded across southern Lake Michigan
towards Chicago. A seiche moves much more slowly than a tsunami, which
can reach speeds of a hundred miles an hour. It took over an hour for
the seiche to travel the 40 miles from Michigan City to the Chicago
(approximately 30 mph).

Boothbay Me Unusual Tide Changes
 

On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:55:37 -0700, slide
wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:


I would conjecture that something like a large meteorite hitting the
water offshore could create a similar effect. The successive waves
of high and low water would be the outward spreading rings from the
impact, similar to that created by a stone thrown into the water. The
outer approaches to Boothbay Harbor may have served to focus and
intensify the waves in some way.

Good thought. Large meteorites aren't detectable by any means known to
modern man.

Meteorites show on radar, and are visible, if even as large as a grain
of sand. Just what makes the large ones harder to detect than tiny
ones? A fifty foot,estimated, one grazed the atmosphere but missed the
surface, and departed. Several photographs of the event have been
published. It was visible in broad daylight. Had it struck the earth,
the impact would have shown up on every seismograph on the ;planet.
Note that they are only meteorites after they hit. Before, they are
meteors, and will, if distant enough, be indetectable.

Casady