As a kid in the 70’s and 80’s we had a lot to fear. Because of Saturday morning cartoons, rumors, and urban legends, and adults just messing with us in general, kids in the 70’s were almost guaranteed to meet one of several fates. Of course, the fates vary by geographic region, but for rural Northern Kentucky we knew what was likely to happen.

We all feared nuclear war of course, probably for good reason, but motorcycle gangs, quicksand, Charles Manson, black widow spiders, earthquakes and abandoned wells were the greatest threats to our childhood and safety.

Never mind that Charles Manson died in prison, black widow spiders are almost never fatal, none of us had ever even seen quicksand, and we were smart enough to stay away from abandoned wells, they were all still ever-present threats. Earthquakes on the other hand? I’ve experienced that firsthand and it’s terrifying. There’s something unsettling about the earth moving beneath your feet, especially for a Kentucky kid. It’s not like I grew up in Southern California. Recently a giant quake hit Papua New Guinea, and since we now have cameras everywhere, viral video of the moment the ground opened up presumably to swallow me in my dreams has taken the internet by storm. Check this out from the Washington Examiner, and prepare to be awake all night:

Several viral videos captured the moment the earth opened up during a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea.

The earthquake that hit the southwest Pacific island Sunday morning killed at least seven people and caused massive damage to infrastructure, the island’s police commissioner, David Manning, said in a statement.