Strong Midwest Earthquake Aftershocks Felt

A strong aftershock shook Southern Illinois on Monday, three days after a magnitude 5.2 quake rattled the region.

Geologists say the temblor just before 12:40 a.m. registered 4.5 magnitude at its epicenter about 5 miles northwest of Mount Carmel. The location is in the same area as Friday's early morning earthquake, which shook a wide area of the Midwest and caused minor damage.

The Monday morning aftershock was the 18th since Friday and the second strongest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The strongest was a 4.6 magnitude shaker about 5 1/2 hours after the original quake Friday morning.

Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook skyscrapers in Chicago. The midwest earthquake did not cause any major injuries or damage.

An early morning weather report on WFIE-TV in Evansville, Indiana was interrupted by the newscast. Watch the video below:

Comments

[homesteader]

I'm hundreds of miles away, close to the Tennessee Alabama border. It might have waked me up, but a couple of my dogs for sure did.

And were very upset. Trembled and twitched for half an hour. Even when that first big aftershock hit.

[BobCozzi]

Interestingly, 40 years ago (when I was 10) I was in my parent's kitchen in Addison, IL washing my hands when I said "Mom, is a train going by?" But it was the previous quake in this area.

Strangle that I didn't feel this one, but was awoken after it apparently ended. That is I didn't know the bed shaking was caused by it at about 4:30 AM, but it did wake me up.

Gosh I hope the big-one hits, then we can see how really inept our infrastructure is to handle a catastrophe like that. Oh wait, we already had Katrina, didn't we.

[myna]

It's important to clarify that the New Madrid Fault cannot be explained by plate tectonics because it has no plate boundaries. Geoscientists estimate the "big one" from New Madrid to be anywhere from 200 to 2,000 years from now. That certainly doesn't motivate me to go out and buy earthquake insurance. After experiencing the one the other day, I am now a bit better prepared.

[Durango]

But there is no way to predict earthquakes.

Not yet anyhow.

[MO-Mike]

Let's go with completely wrong about the "cannot be explained by plate tectonics" comment. New Madrid is considered an east-west compression fault, and there is a recent secondary theory that there is also a sub-surface horizontal fault.

East-west compression means the east coast is pushing west faster than the west coast is moving (this is one of the ways mountains form, like you know, the Rockies) and the sub-surface horizontal idea is that there is a second, disconnected, rock structure that the whole area sits on top of (think stack of books) that slips periodically because the surface and it are moving at slightly different speeds or in slightly different directions.

Regardless of Scrooge McDuck's intimate knowledge that the real causes of earthquakes are Terries and Fermies, this is something that is easily explained under plate tectonics, and crustal weak points are expected.

[jvarga]

Considering the age of the earth, 200-2,000 years isn't really a big margin. Obviously in terms of humans / human life spans its significant, but on a scale of several billion that's kinda precise.

[LintLass]

I probably ought to add that no one in the USGS seems to be overly concerned that this quake portends that bad scenario, similar things have happened before.

[citizenofmars]

This is just the first warning to America from the Earth Spirit itself. This nation will be rent asunder by natural catastrophe, including quakes and volcanic eruptions. We have squandered our mission on this world and are responsible for polluting the atmosphere to a point where the very poles are melting. Is our existence as a nation worth the complete destruction of the rest of the world? Obviously the planet itself thinks not. Laugh if you want to, but God's greatest judgements on mankind are manifested in just such weather cataclysms. All the Falwells and Billy Grahams can't appease the creator at this stage of man's de-evolution. Will all the steel, plastic, concrete, and craziness of our "civilization" be plowed under in global upheavals? Is this the price we ultimately have to pay for our pillaging of the planet? Perhaps the staged 911 attacks AND SUBSEQUENT COVER-UP was the last karmic straw for this country, and the one that broke it's back. The wholesale nullification of everything this nation stands for, from the fake Pentagon attack to fake WMD's to fake elections is coming home to roost. With big enough quakes and eruptions, this whole country could easily turn into a New-Orleans styled nightmare OVERNIGHT, complete with Alex Jones' worst martial-law scenario come to life. Maybe Edgar Cayce was right after all? We seem to have been warned but good..

[hope4theflowers]

umm ,yeah.
ok

[rbspickles]

Heh, the tin foil hats are back in season ;)

[fetchezlavache]

God's judgment? I do believe in God, but I don't think he reaches down and smites the continental plates from time to time. Our very dynamic and living earth does these things according to the natural laws of geology. Read up on plate tectonics. The earth is going to do what the earth is going to do, and we need to put a lot more money into quake-proofing buildings, developing early-detection systems, and, above all, putting FEMA back to where it was in the Clinton years.

[jvarga]

I'd ask for paragraphs to make that readable. But on second thought, leave it as is.

[argent1]

I guess the slavery days of yore was just hunky-dory or the elimination of the natives. Go all the way back to Jesus' day and nothing happened when we all murdred his ONLY son.--We're all God's little toys.

[Alvin4NY]

Sadly, I do believe that's where we're headed. The lawlessness of our country and lack of accountability from our Government have got the shitball speeding down hill. We have no leaders, just Corporate Hacks with self interest at the forefront. The generation that has come up behind my own kids scare the hell out of me with their lack of responsibility and built in sense of entitlement. No one wants to work for anything, or take the time to build a life. Instead we're all trying to outspend each other on useless shit while never bothering to give back or contribute to society, or often times, even our own families. Hurricane Katrina was a warning, but I guess nobody really thought it was worth getting upset about. Wait til America finds out there really is no one taking care of them.

[ohiomark]

The earth shook so much, that my comment disappeared, or maybe it was just more HuffPo censorship.

[3443649]

Like the Earthquack, you never no what really happend to your post. But back to the Quack, The State of Illinoise may just be about to have it's own Volcano in the corn fields, just like happens down in Mexico. AhYep! Things, they are a change'n !

[Irons]

Well, well, well. God has a problem with the folks down in southern Illinois and Indiana.

I'm not surprised!

[Podewumun]

Think Mother Earth is trying to tell the primary voters of Indiana something?

[Beachrunner]

Headlines read,

"Hillary Continues Desperate Drive to Stop Obama with Illinois Subterranean Nuclear Devices"

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

For God's sake, don't give Hillary any ideas!

[July]

What If:

What if this quake had been in the 7+ range? Chicago, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Evansville, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis, etc. would all be right there in the way, and could have suffered immense damage. Unfortunately, just like when the hurricane hit New Orleans, help would not be there for quite a while because the various National Guards are over in Iraq.

Unlike New Orleans, there is no water to recede, so it would not be something you could pretend did not happen.

[Quaoar]

In related news, Ben Stein announced that his next movie, a sequel to "Expelled:No Intelligence Allowed", will focus on discrimination faced by scientists who promote the theory of "Intelligent Shaking" over the more universally accepted Plate Tectonics theory.

[Irons]

LOL

[jvarga]

Nice :P

[Podewumun]

ROFL! Good one.

[luckyoldson]

I read a review of Stein's new movie via a group of scientists and they were astounded that someone with his background and education would produce a piece of insanematerial.

The entire premise of the film is that those who believe in evolution are just not giving creationism (intelligent design) a chance.

Duh.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Ben Stein was rumoured to be really intelligent, but that is in doubt now due to his foolish, idiotic, embarrassing "documentary". It is due, perhaps, to the fact that he's an extreme right wing ideologue.

Proves that being educated doesn't make you smart.

[Durango]

All we are sayyyying . . .

Is give stupidity a chance.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Ben will blame the earthquake on God's wrath because of gay marriage.

[Durango]

Most people are unaware that when the BIG ONE hits it will most likely be in the Midwest/South not California.

The New Madrid Quake in 1812 (?) may have been the biggest quake in US history. If it happened today it would probably severe most if not all the oil/gas pipelines running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest and East Coast.

[fuzzwald]

I could be even worse than what you say, Durango. Two words: soil liquefaction.

[hope4theflowers]

one word
fearmongering

[Durango]

Right, the pipelines are just the tip of the iceberg. They happen to be the graphic I remember seeing at the lecture.

In 1812 the Mississippi ran backwards. Very few people actually lived in the area. At least compared to today.

[LintLass]

Yep, if the new Madrid 'Big one' that's expected (...well, within some thousand years or so, don't panic, ) were to cut loose, it would definitely be very bad.

For scoffing Californians, well, there's certainly novelty to a big shake further East, but they also carry much further than they (fortunately) do out west. That potential Big One really could cause widespread devastation, not to mention infrastructure nightmares.

[almoguy]

Durango, you are correct in your earthquake history. I live approx. 100 mile form the New Madrid fault, and the evidence of the 1811 quake is still here. The land appears as if someone has grabed it and set a wave into it....subtle but quite beautiful land forms. Mondays quake in southern Illinos was not due to the New Madrid fault, however It is the biggest one I have felt in the 30 years I have lived here (shook the bed and set the ceiling fans to a gentle swing) We are constantly having little point 3 tremors (which you can not feel) as the plates shift. For years scientists have warned of a major quake in the next 50 years (give or take) but recent findings are calling that assuption into question. By the way at one point in our history, The capital of the United States was going to be moved and established in Western Kentucky on the Mississippi River.