Rare Quake hit Midwest...

Hey I saw the news on tv at noon that there was an earthquake of 5.2 magnitude in ILL this morning. I was like cool.

I thought nothing of it till I got online earlier and checked the news. So I did read the earthquake report to my surprise it said it occured at 4:37 AM. I was like wtf?! I realized it was about or near same time I woke up. it surprised me!

I was like no way? I woke up felt the bounce thinking it was my cat Oreo jumped on my bed from shelf but he was sleeping?? So hmm I was like ok whatever. So I looked at my cell phone to see the time and it was 4:38 am. I was like ok too early and tried to sleep but had to get up and use the bathroom. Then I came back to bed and went back to sleep. No problem... ZZZZ

Sure enough it was an earthquake. go figure! LOL. It was small bounce not much but it sure woke me up! ha! I have felt the earthquakes in the past. This is weak.

I told my mom about this and she said it's impossible as there is no way we can felt the earthquake that far? I said I did felt it. So I decided to look for some information online and there it is in plain sight. So obiviously this does make sense ...

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2008/us2008qza6/#summary


Earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S., although less frequent than in the western U.S., are typically felt over a much broader region. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast. A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake usually can be felt as far as 500 km (300 mi) from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 40 km (25 mi).


There was another earthquake known as an aftershock occured this morning at 10:14 am and it was at 4.6 magnitude. So far there are 7 aftershocks..

Did any of you felt both of the earthquakes? I wonder?? I only felt the first one but not the second one I was busy cleaning and sweep floor so I didnt felt it nor pay attention to it. ha.


http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1616058736x1200403239x1200201222/aol?redir=http://news.aol.com/story/_a/rare-large-earthquake-hits-midwest/20080418062509990001

Rare, Large Earthquake Hits Midwest
It Interrupts Weatherman's Report During Live Broadcast
By JIM SUHR,AP
Posted: 2008-04-18 15:38:45
Filed Under: Nation News
WEST SALEM, Ill. (April 18) -- 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.


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 Mount Carmel, 15 southeast of the epicenter, a woman was trapped in her home by a collapsed porch but was quickly freed and wasn't hurt, said Mickie Smith, a dispatcher at the police department. The department took numerous other calls, though none reported anything more serious than objects knocked off walls and out of shelves, she said.

Also in Mount Carmel, a two-story apartment building was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. Police cordoned off the building, a 1904 school converted to residences.


Quake Interrupts Weather Report



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, Baldwin said.

"This is a fairly large quake for this region," he said. "They might occur every few years."

Initially reported as a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, the USGS revised its estimate to 5.2. Two aftershocks during the next three hours measured 2.6 and a 2.5.

"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."

Lucas Griswold, a dispatcher in West Salem, said the Edwards County sheriff's department received reports of minor damage and no injuries.


"Oh, yeah, I felt it. It was interesting," Griswold said. "A lot of shaking."

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 downtown 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.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-04-18 06:25:41



Look at the video below. wow what a shake?
http://video.aol.com/video/video-category/2109233


its funny.. the weatherman was like is it windy? then he realized it was earthquake.. haha.. funny..

I wonder if there will be more to come? Hmm. I have bad feeling about this. Maybe it's me, I don't know. First it was tornadoes, then Snows, then the floodings, and now earthquakes? What next? jeez! It look like it's gonna get worse? hmm? I guess we all need to stay positive. :)

Stay safe wherever you are!

As always,
Ginger :)