indiana Earthquake midwest, chicago, usgs earthquake, missouri AND evansville earthquake louisville
Chicago officials say there was no damage detected here from the quake.
Earthquake Details
| Magnitude | 4.2 (Light) |
|---|---|
| Date-Time | = Coordinated Universal Time = local time at epicenter |
| Location | 41.443°N, 88.927°W |
| Depth | 5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program |
| Region | ILLINOIS |
| Distances | |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 4.9 km (3.0 miles); depth fixed by location program |
| Parameters | Nst= 37, Nph= 37, Dmin=196.8 km, Rmss=0.97 sec, Gp= 72°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=9 |
| Source | USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) |
| Event ID | uskgad |
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
However, some 200 city inspectors were dispatched to check "key locations" such as the Navy Pier Ferris wheel and construction cranes.
Felt Reports
WEST SALEM, Ill. - Bricks shook loose and fell from buildings. Walls cracked. Books tumbled off shelves. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake centered near this southern Illinois town struck before dawn Friday, rocking skyscrapers in Chicago, 230 miles north of here, but doing little damage and seriously hurting no one.
It was the kind of tremor that might be ignored in earthquake-savvy California, but the temblor shook things up from Nebraska to Atlanta and rattled nerves in Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., where bricks toppled to the pavement.
"We thought it (the house) was falling on us, we really did," said 85-year-old Anna Mae Williams, who was shaken awake at 4:37 a.m. in tiny West Salem, six miles from the epicenter.
Dozens of aftershocks followed, including one with a magnitude of 4.6.
The quake is believed to have involved an extension of the New Madrid fault, a network of deep cracks in the earth's surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The fault is at the center of the nation's most active seismic zone east of the Rockies, something that's known to Midwest residents, even if they forget it now and then — the last severe earthquake in the region was a 5.0 magnitude quake in 2002.
Williams said she knew exactly what was happening because it reminded her of an earthquake back in 1968. Others had no idea what was going on.
Janet Clem of nearby Mount Carmel thought a nearby power plant had exploded, and was just as afraid when she realized that what she'd heard — "a heck of a rumble then a loud kaboom" — was in fact one of the most powerful earthquakes in Illinois history.
"I'm terrified, I'm not going to lie to you," she said after the earthquake collapsed her porch. "I've never experienced anything like that and I don't want to experience it again."
The earthquake was the talk of towns throughout much of the Midwest.
"I just saw my house just shake. Golly," said Mike Morrow of Mount Carmel, his eyes widening during an aftershock.
Morrow's two-story apartment building was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. The initial quake woke the 30-year-old and startled his pit bull.
"He was about as scared as I was," Morrow said. "We both just froze."
Though nowhere close to the power of the nation's most famous quakes — including the devastating temblor that hit San Francisco exactly 102 years ago Friday — it was enough to remind people of the risk that exists in the Midwest.
In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater said to be felt as far away as Boston. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid (pronounced MAD'-rid), 140 miles southeast of St. Louis.
Experts said that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.
Road crews in Kentucky and Indiana were out early Friday inspecting bridges and overpasses, and work crews took a close look at skyscraper construction sites in Chicago.
Early homeowner damage claims received by State Farm, the largest provider of earthquake coverage in the area, were mostly for cracks in drywall and foundations, spokeswoman Missy Lundberg said.
Many residents said they felt helpless.
"I tell you, it was scary," said Williams. "There was no warning at all."
David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign, said he was awakened by the quake.
"Windows were rattling, and you could hear it," he said. "The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California."
mbLg 4.5 (GS). Felt (V) at Earlville, Oglesby, Ottawa and Tonica; (IV) at Chillicothe, Dalzell, Frankfort, Granville, Hinckley, Hinsdale, Ladd, La Salle, Lockport, Marseilles, Mendota, Monee, Paw Paw, Peru, Princeton, Rock Island, Seneca, Sheridan, Somonauk, Sterling, Streator, Sublette and Utica. Also felt (IV) at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Felt in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
The city's Department of Transportation also examined bridges and viaducts but reported no damage. The CTA inspected its rail lines and reported no damage.
In Chicago, city operators fielded about 300 calls from concerned residents.
City officials recommended that homeowners examine foundations, basements and walls for cracks or any other signs of damage.
WEST SALEM, Ill. (AP) - Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage. Dozens of aftershocks followed, one with a magnitude of 4.5. The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 45 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt in such distant cities as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta, nearly 400 miles to the southeast. "It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California." In West Salem itself, a chimney on one house fell and there were reports of cracks in walls. "We're very thankful we had no one injured," said Harvey Fenton, the town's police and fire chief. He was at first unsure what to make of the sudden rumbling when it woke him up. "A major shaking is the best way I can describe it," said Fenton, 58. Fifteen miles to the southeast, in Mount Carmel, a woman was trapped in her home by a collapsed porch but was quickly freed and wasn't hurt, said police dispatcher Mickie Smith. A century-old apartment building there, a former schoolhouse, was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. Bonnie Lucas, a morning co-host at WHO-AM in Des Moines, said she was sitting in her office when she felt her chair move. She grabbed her desk, and then heard the ceiling panels start to creak. The shaking lasted about 5 seconds, she said. The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the New Madrid fault about six miles north of Mount Carmel, Ill., said United States Geological Survey geophysicist Randy Baldwin. The last earthquake in the region to approach the severity of Friday's temblor was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002. "This is a fairly large quake for this region," Baldwin said. "They might occur every few years." It was initially reported as a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, but the USGS later revised its estimate to 5.2. "This was widely felt, all the way to Atlanta, a little bit in Michigan," said USGS geophysicist Carrieann Bedwell. In Cincinnati, Irvetta McMurtry said she felt the rattling for up to 20 seconds. "All of a sudden, I was awakened by this rumbling shaking," said McMurtry, 43. "My bed is an older wood frame bed, so the bed started to creak and shake, and it was almost like somebody was taking my mattress and moving it back and forth." In Louisville, Ky., the quake caused some bricks to fall off a building near downtown. Television video showed them strewn in the street. In Chicago, officials were checking structures to ensure there was no damage. The quake also shook skyscrapers in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles northeast of the epicenter. The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968, when a 5.3-magnitude temblor was recorded about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis, according the USGS. The damage was minor but widespread and there were no serious injuries. In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater said to be felt as far away as Boston. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid (pronounced MAD rid), 140 miles southeast of St. Louis. Experts say that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.
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earthquakes! Ahhhh! I just had a baby earthquake a couple days ago here in southern California!
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