According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Chicago suburbs at 3:59 a.m. Wednesday. The epicenter of the quake was located about 50 miles northwest of Chicago and it originated from a depth of three miles.
Randy Baldwin of the USG geological Service in Colorado stated that the quake was "serious enough to be felt widely, but there are no reports of damage."
The exact position was between the towns of Virgil and the city of Sycamore. However, reports of tremors came in from Villa Park, Western Springs, Minooka, Batavia, Naperville, Elgin and Des Plaines.
In Chicago, the impact was felt in the Northwest Side and Logan Square. It was a minor quake that lasted for little over five seconds and the vibrations created were quite similar to those of a passing truck.
Experts’ take on the quake
A seismologist at the USGS called the earthquake “very uncommon” for the area. It was the strongest earthquake for the region since June 2004 when a 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck close to suburban Chicago and the impact was felt throughout the state. Another earthquake, a 3.0-magnitude, occurred in 1985.
Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the agency, said it was only the second notable earthquake in more than 30 years to hit the region. Even though the quake was mild, it was “very widely felt” by residents as far away as southern Wisconsin.
Vaughan said, “This is not a very seismically active area. We don’t know what fault system this is, but there are faults everywhere throughout the world that can slip at any given time.”
No injuries or damage reported
Although residents were startled, there were no reports of injuries or damage. Also the actual damage, if any, in terms of property has not been assessed for the time being.
People felt their beds furniture and homes shake for a few seconds. Some reported being shaken out of bed and finding books and tools scattered across the floor after falling from shelves. In addition, many residential and business alarms were triggered, but the need for assistance was not felt.
Reactions of the locals
Doug Dupont of Belvidere, Illinois stated that the quake shook him out of bed and caused a crack in his kitchen wall.
He disclosed, "It was really scary. It felt like a train was going by our house. This is not California. This is northern Illinois. We are not supposed to get earthquakes."
Rose Aaron, from Chesterton stated, "It sounded like something was exploding and my house shook. At first I thought it was a garbage truck but it only lasted a few seconds.”
Walter Mockus of St. Charles said, "The whole house shook. The chimes that hang were all ringing. It was so loud, I thought a plane had gone down."
Earthquake was felt here also.
Even though we are in Springfield we did feel it this am as well. I thought it was a snowplow?
I guess a blizzard was not
I guess a blizzard was not enough. It woke me up due to 3 tremors last night.
2/10 NE earthquake
this is an uncommon earthquake... could it be related to some high tech testing being done in Fermilabs?
btw.. i felt the earthquake coming somewhere from the west and then heading out east, and it shook my house bottom up. It woke our 6 month old baby, but the dog was sound asleep. like everyone else it shook my bed, but not enough to make it squeak. my wife slept through the whole thing.
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