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Earthquake rattles Central Illinois, but no major damage reported
5.2-magnitude temblor wakes up residents, leads to aftershocks
By Ryan Denham and Greg Cima
rdenham@pantagraph.com | gcima@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL -- Like many other Central Illinoisans, Julie Crowe of Normal had two reactions that don’t usually go together after Friday morning’s 5.2-magnitude earthquake. | House rattled by the quake? Submit photos online | Damage at your home or business? Contact us | Quick facts: Illinois and earthquakes | Photo gallery | Video 1: Quake's impact | Video 2: ISU professor breaks down quake

“That was pretty cool,” she said as she described feeling the quake at her mother’s home. That was followed moments later by, “It’s very unsettling.”

Though the 4:30 a.m. temblor — which was felt across the country and one of the strongest ever recorded in Illinois — was centered about 20 miles southeast of Olney, Central Illinois was well rattled. The quake was enough to wake up people throughout the area, and aftershocks kept talk of fault lines and “Did you feel it?” going all day.

But for the most part the quake stayed an earthshaking water cooler topic, causing no major damage or injuries in Central Illinois, according to reports from area public-safety agencies swamped with calls early Friday by confused residents.

An aftershock around 10:15 a.m. — one of several Friday morning — had a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was felt across Central Illinois.

The quake — felt in Central Illinois for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on whom you ask — is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the famed New Madrid fault, about six miles north of Mount Carmel, said USGS geophysicist Randy Baldwin.

State and county transportation officials were out in force early Friday, checking bridges and other structures for damage, but inspectors didn’t report any affected roadways, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

State Farm Insurance Cos., the largest provider of earthquake coverage in the area, reported only a handful of damage claims by the afternoon, mostly in Southern Illinois. But State Farm spokeswoman Missy Lundberg said that at least one office in the Twin Cities was getting a lot of new calls asking about getting earthquake coverage.

Though the quake happened too early for children or staff to be at schools, area district officials and college administrators said Friday that earthquake drills are practiced and plans for temblors are on the books.

“It was all the attention to the New Madrid fault line. That’s when we started adding the earthquake drills,” Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus said.

He was referring to predictions a few years ago of a possible recurrence of the devastating quakes in 1811 and 1812 along the fault that straddles the Mississippi River in southern Missouri. That concern led about seven or eight years ago to a new focus on earthquakes, he said.

At the time he was a superintendent in Salem, about 60 miles west of Friday’s quake’s epicenter.

At Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Darcy Greder, associate dean of students, said quakes are in the school’s emergency response plans, though after 31 years on the campus, quakes don’t top her list of worries.

“If you were at San Francisco State, you’d be running drills all the time, and people would know where to find reinforced doorways,” she said. But life on an Illinois campus doesn’t bring the same urgency, she said.

Scott Deal of Bloomington said he woke to the shaking of a lampshade at the side of his bed, then felt the 10:15 a.m. aftershock while working at State Farm’s south corporate campus.

“I’ve always wanted to experience an earthquake,” Deal said, with the caveat that he doesn’t want to go through a violent, destructive one.

Quakes in Central Illinois?

The last earthquake in the region near the New Madrid fault to approach the severity of Friday’s temblor was a 5.0-magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002, Baldwin said.

But the chances of an earthquake causing damage in Central Illinois are “pretty slim,” said Robert Nelson, a geology professor at Illinois State University, Normal, who used his Friday morning lecture to discuss the quake with his students.

Central Illinois has some distance from Southern Illinois fault lines and rests on glacial till, a mix of material deposited by glaciers that dampens earthquake waves, he said.

Nelson said an earthquake like Friday’s is expected about once every five or seven years.

A magnitude 6.0 quake, in contrast, is when damage becomes a larger concern.

“Each time you’re increasing the magnitude, you’re increasing the earthquake energy by about 32 times,” Nelson said. “We were quite a ways away from a damaging earthquake.”

Still, it shook skyscrapers in downtown Chicago and was felt by Deal’s sons near Indianapolis, and in Louisville, Ky., and St. Louis.

Closer to the epicenter, bricks shook loose, walls cracked and a porch collapsed.

The quake was felt across such a large area because of the solid bedrock underneath the Midwest, Nelson said. In Southern California, for example, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake would only be felt about 40 to 50 miles away because the ground is more broken up, Nelson said.

“Once the energy is out there (in the Midwest), there is virtually nothing to slow those waves down,” Nelson said.



Shaken and stirred



Here are some quick facts about earthquakes and when they’ve caused trouble in Illinois.

Playing the odds

• The U.S. Geological Survey says 796 earthquakes have occurred in the U.S. to date in 2008.

• Illinois experiences one earthquake a year on average. Only one quake in 20 years causes damage.

• Scientists estimate the likelihood of a damaging quake measuring 6.3 or greater on the Richter Scale in the Midwest in the next 15 years at 40 percent to 63 percent. The likelihood is nearly 100 percent one will occur in the next 50 years.

• Serious damage occurs from a quake only once in every 70 to 90 years in the state.

• The Illinois Geological Survey says devastating earthquakes in the central U.S. occur only once in every 700 to 1,200 years.

Past quakes

• The New Madrid Seismic Zone, which reaches into Illinois, experienced three huge quakes estimated at more than 8.0 on the Richter Scale during the winter of 1811-12. The region was sparsely populated, so only a few injuries are known. But, the force appeared to reverse the course of the Mississippi River for a time and rang church bells in Boston. The power opened fissures, formed lakes, uprooted and snapped trees, sank or raised large sections of land more than 20 feet and affected 600,000 square miles.

• USGS scientists think a major quake occurs on the New Madrid fault about once every 500 years.

• The last reported damage-causing earthquake in Illinois measured 5.0 and centered in southeastern Illinois near Lawrenceville and Olney in June 1987.

• The last major quake in the Midwest happened Halloween 1895 and was centered just south of Charleston. The magnitude was estimated at 6.8, and people as far away as Pennsylvania reported feeling the tremor. Sill, no one was killed or injured, and no buildings collapsed.

Safety tips

• Strap water heater securely to wall.

• Some walls may require additional bracing; check with construction experts.

• Use flexible connectors for natural-gas lines to appliances.

• Learn how to shut off all utilities.

• Have fire extinguishers strategically located on each floor.

• Make sure the chimney and roof are in good condition and well-supported.

• Make sure mirrors, picture frames, hanging plants and lamps are mounted securely.

• Keep beds away from glass or any hanging object.

• Brace tall furniture, bookcases and refrigerators and attach to walls.

• Use sturdy latches on cabinet doors.

• Be sure your house is bolted to the foundation.

• Establish an emergency meeting place should your family get separated.

SOURCES: U.S. Geological Survey and Illinois State Geological Survey; tips from State Farm Insurance Cos.

Michele Steinbacher and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Take a look
Illinois State University professor of geology/geography Robert Nelson shows a PowerPoint presentation of a seismogram of Friday morning's earthquake to his students during a lecture. (The Pantagraph/Steve Smedley)
Illinois Department of Transportation day laborer Tom Frost of Lincoln walks on the northbound Salt Creek bridge deck of Interstate 55 at Lawndale on Friday morning. Frost and crew members have been patching the bridge deck, an ongoing project unrelated to IDOT inspections after the earthquake. (The Pantagraph/Steve Smedley)
Janet Clem, 37, looks at the damage to her home in Mt. Carmel on Friday morning after the 5.2 early morning earth quake.(AP Photo/Daniel R. Patmore)
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Reader comments on this story - 146 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

fishpoop wrote on Apr 28, 2008 12:49 PM:

" sweet over at bww at 2 "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 24, 2008 12:01 PM:

" lol Nice! Which bar? "

fishpoop wrote on Apr 24, 2008 8:58 AM:

" though I think I was the only one at the bar with a laptop working "

fishpoop wrote on Apr 24, 2008 8:58 AM:

" you should have joined sweet cheeks it was fantastic! "

Catfish wrote on Apr 24, 2008 7:30 AM:

" Who is this Madrid and why's everyone saying it's his fault? It was a geological thing...wasn't it? "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 23, 2008 6:20 PM:

" LOL very true!! "

fishpoop wrote on Apr 23, 2008 5:22 PM:

" anytime sweetcheeks! Heck if you can't have some fun on here they what is the point of life. Need to enjoy it! Hence why I am having a cold beer in this wonderful weather! "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 23, 2008 1:48 PM:

" BNHunman, Dirkdavebigalow, fishpoop and Townie gave me a huge laugh lol "

vzbb wrote on Apr 22, 2008 3:41 PM:

" To Lizzie and ML LOL thanks for giving me a laugh today!! That is so funny/mean/true haha! "

fishpoop wrote on Apr 21, 2008 1:40 PM:

" it was the best action I have had in my bed in the last year! "

dirkdavebigalow wrote on Apr 20, 2008 12:52 AM:

" I woke up right after it feeling pretty good if you know what I mean! It was the most orgasmic natural disaster I ever experienced. "

dirkdavebigalow wrote on Apr 20, 2008 12:48 AM:

" I wish I was awake for it and drunk. That would have been pretty cool. "

fortunate1 wrote on Apr 19, 2008 12:53 PM:

" I felt the quake. Thought it was my dog panting heavily at first 'til I heard something fall off my TV. Then thought my husband had turned on washing machine b4 he left for work & it was "walking". Got up and couple hours later found out it was a quake. A nurse I work with said his sister in law lives in southern Illinois & her dresser was shaking so hard she thought it was a "poltergeist" !!! She had me beat!! I had to laugh about that one. Just thought I would share. Amazing what your mind conjures up when you're half asleep!! "

bill vit wrote on Apr 19, 2008 11:29 AM:

" I'm sure there are numerous people in Bloomington that would've hoped that the Coliseum would've fallen down.... "

pseudo-intellectual wrote on Apr 19, 2008 8:25 AM:

" Did you ever think about how fortunate/BLESSED America is... not only our great wealth and might, but even when disasters strike how limited the loss of life is compared to some less favored parts of the world- where even a small quake like this would have killed at least hundreds. America covers such a vast area, yet only in southern California have we seen large seismic events (at least since the 1800's). Even there, due to building standards and education, fatalities typically are minimal. Yes, Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath have been horrific, but such calamities in Pakistan or China have killed HUNDREDS of thousands. America is still the best place to live on earth. "

UK wrote on Apr 19, 2008 4:05 AM:

" I felt it but my hubby said it was him causing the earth to move under my feet!! :0) "

flex remmington wrote on Apr 19, 2008 3:23 AM:

" wow this story sure got a lot of comments quickly. I must be a deeper sleeper than I thought, I slept through them both. Pretty dissapointing for me. I have always wanted to experence a quake. Move to LA I guess. "

Waffle of Justice wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:52 PM:

" I slept right through it thanks to my Serta pillow top mattress, check your local retailers and sleep through earthquakes like me. Serta, like sleeping on a cloud. "

coupie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:16 PM:

" LOL rocket!!! Just trying to help people lighten up an otherwise freaky day. Thanks for the offer, but I'm already in counseling. Might take jipsi for a beer tho...;o} "

mj wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:11 PM:

" Might as well share like everyone else. I live by the airport, and it's not unusual to feel early morning shaking from a jet. The bed shook and the handles on my dresser rattled, but no sound from a truck or jet. It definitely lasted more than 10 seconds. That's my first quake I've felt. That's what happens when you are Bloomington-Normal born and raised. "

Rational Humanist wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:19 PM:

" I like that little tiny last-line mention of earthquakes that moved the Mississippi River a mile in a few minutes. And no mention at all of the fact that THAT fault is considered overdue for another good boogie. Stand by for surf on Lake Bloomington! "

cocoa wrote on Apr 18, 2008 4:38 PM:

" To T: Here's a concept for you: Instead of just griping and groaning and posting snarky remarks about what State Farm *won't* cover, why don't you read your policy and see what IS covered, then consider whether it might behoove you to purchase additional endorsements for your policy to cover items like earthquake and flood. You must really have had a bad experience with State Farm, or else you are just a singularly unfriendly person who has a complaint about everything, because I have not yet seen you post one positive comment on any article in the months I've been reading Pantagraph comments. "

EG wrote on Apr 18, 2008 4:36 PM:

" Hilldweller, thank you. Hubby thought I was crazy when I thought I felt two. at least I know I'm not alone! "

rocket00 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 4:23 PM:

" coupie and jipsi - enough already...I'll pay for the counseling. Or better yet why don;t you two meet for a beer somewhere. And by the way...this IS all George Bush's fault you know. "

Country Girl wrote on Apr 18, 2008 4:11 PM:

" It woke my husband and daughter up but son and I slept thru it. We also have Earthquake insurance with a $10,000 deductable. Its doesn't cost that much extra but it is a peace of mind thing. I can remember several small quakes as a kid. I remember the pans falling off the kitchen wall at my mom's house. Check with your insurance company about the cost. We've had it for 20 years and never needed it but someday we may and will be glad to have it. "

coupie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 3:39 PM:

" Nor were mine jipsi, nor were mine. If I offended you, I apologize. Again, I was simply voicing an observation. "

airwren wrote on Apr 18, 2008 3:29 PM:

" The odds are that this is just as likely to happen tomorrow as it did today. The once every hundred years thing doesn't mean that since we had one today we can breathe easy. Scientists have been predicting tha the New Madrid fault was set for a "major" earthquake when I was a kid and here it is 20 years later. Just make sure you know what to do in an earthquake and don't worry about it. "

New Nana wrote on Apr 18, 2008 3:10 PM:

" What woke me up was the 4:40 a.m. text from my daughter in Olney, who was very shaken still at 7:00 a.m. this morning. She ran to the crib to get her 10 week old twin daughters. She said it rattled windows, knocked pics off the wall, then when the after-shock came, she said it was just as hard there as the first, knocking things over. BUT, the very weird thing about last night was, at 8:30 p.m. my son in Dallas called leaving me a message that he was in the middle of a tornado. I could hear the wind in the background of the message, but could not get back ahold of him. THANK-GOD, they are all safe and sound!!! "

itsme wrote on Apr 18, 2008 2:54 PM:

" Good eye Otown boy!! "

isunormalil wrote on Apr 18, 2008 2:36 PM:

" oldlady, multiply your 56.00 by the next 25 years...because thats how long it will take for this to even happen again. This is like Haley's Comet...and the insurance companies love people that freak out. "

oldlady wrote on Apr 18, 2008 2:15 PM:

" Yep, it's time to call your State Farm Agent. I did. $56.00..and I'm covered.
"

Otown_boy wrote on Apr 18, 2008 1:45 PM:

" Did anyone else notice the ISU PowerPoint presentation photo in the photo gallery is dated 2007? "

ml wrote on Apr 18, 2008 1:14 PM:

" lizzie...funny that you say that. I felt the aftershock but in all seriousness, I thought that my desk was shaking because someone on the heavy side walked by my cube. It really does happen so I just passed it off as that. "

cheesehead wrote on Apr 18, 2008 12:49 PM:

" My husband left for work at 4:30 this morning and I called him after I was awaken by the earthquake at 4:40. I told him that I think we just had an earthquake and since he was driving in his car, he didn't feel anything. He thought I was CRAZY! Kinda funny was to start my day!

JUST FYI - You have to have earthquake coverage for your home. Damages from Earthquakes are not covered on your insurance policy. My $160,000 home costs only $44 a year to cover. "

BNHuman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 12:21 PM:

" My bed hasn't shaken like that in a long time! "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 12:12 PM:

" to coupie: I agree.
But MINE were not hurting anyone.
"

History Alum wrote on Apr 18, 2008 12:03 PM:

" A little FYI regarding insurance... NO policy from ANY company will cover earthquakes without a special rider/endorsement. It's one of those fun things you learn when you go through testing to be licensed to sell insurance. Same goes for floods. You should always discuss this kind of thing with your agent. They do tell people, but most of the time it's in one ear, out the other. "

lizzie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 12:03 PM:

" I didn't know the 10:15 aftershock was an aftershock - I thought someone heavy just walked by... "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:46 AM:

" Wow Townie..too funny. I sure hope everyone has a fantastic weekend now that we have had such an interesting start to it. :) "

BookLover wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:31 AM:

" to branhan;

Thanks for getting that song stuck in my head.

I feel the EARTH! Move! Under my feet! "

Crybaby wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:15 AM:

" What a downer. Unfortunately, the tremor woke me up too. I was having such an awesome dream. What with all the shakin' and groanin' and stuff, I really thought for awhile that I had hit the jackpot. So to speak. "

noogie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:14 AM:

" It sounded like a frate trane, I dun thought my traylur was gonna roll away! "

coupie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:13 AM:

" Again, lighten up jipsi. I just found it comical that you just couldn't understand why your "posts" weren't going through. Like an earthquake in Illinois isn't a huge enough story on its own. Just as I find it comical that you feel you have to "defend" yourself anytime someone responds to one of your "posts". I'm sure you're not the only one feeling these aftershocks, so you needn't question every one. I'm not being mean or sarcastic, just voicing a personal observation. As you recently posted, this IS a public forum (after all) and people are just making "observations". "

Townie here... wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:09 AM:

" Heehee...I love that we're so not used to it that people initially thought it was their dog jumping on bed, significant other snoring of farting on them and or thunderstorms! :oP Unfortunately, I sleep and snore and fart through everything so I was totally oblivious! Even to the 10:15ish one... :o) "

itsme wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:04 AM:

" why didn't I feel it?? I'm confused..... "

BookLover wrote on Apr 18, 2008 11:01 AM:

" To Rocket00;

I think it will take more than a few earthquakes for the Cubs to win... "

nightnurse wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:57 AM:

" definitely feeling the aftershocks. I'm in Minier and about 10-15 mins ago my big old 2 story rocked pretty darn good! "

pseudo-intellectual wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:52 AM:

" Aftershocks, especially now that most of us are awake, are unnerving, but the thing you worry about is that the original earthquake may have been a foreshock, leading up to a much larger earthquake. The possibility of a larger quake obviously diminishes with each passing hour, though. "

pseudo-intellectual wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:47 AM:

" This county engineer Mitchell doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence that he will do a thorough job looking for quake damage. Just because his house didn't fall down on him doesn't mean the quake didn't do damage to bridges or roads in the area. "

s|ren wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:45 AM:

" The USGS said the aftershock we just had around 10:15 was logged as a 4.5......I really hope this isn't a sign of what's coming. Everyone remember your childhood earthquake drills! Hehe. "

dwarf wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:44 AM:

" Huh. I completely missed the aftershock. Other people around the office were all talking about it, and I thought they were nuts because I didn't feel a thing.

I was wrong! "

WonderWoman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:42 AM:

" I felt it! "

nightnurse wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:41 AM:

" definitely feeling the aftershocks. I'm in Minier and about 10-15 mins ago my big old 2 story rocked pretty darn good! "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:41 AM:

" I am in the Corportate Building in State Farm on the 9th floor and that aftershock was pretty freaky up here lol Wow Qwijibo lighten up, earthquakes do not happen often around here so people are going to get excited about it. Lay off already. "

Hozer wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:38 AM:

" 10:16 am aftershock? "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:38 AM:

" The most recent 10:15am aftershock (they all feel like EARTHQUAKES to me) was a 4.5, epicenter at 8 miles east of West Salem... I looked at the USGS site and they show we've had four or five aftershocks besides this latest one, although those were very slight (2.6, for example).
I'm not a person who enjoys "shaky ground"... ;-( "

Hozer wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:30 AM:

" 10:16 am aftershock? "

Jay G wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:29 AM:

" I'm here, working in Champaign, and we just felt an aftershock about ten minutes ago 10:20 AM

Did anyone else? "

The Real MRK wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:25 AM:

" Just felt another bit of shaking at approximately 10:15am here at work. People across the floor started mentioning it. Just a gentle shaking of the floor, more frequent vibration than 4:39 this morning, which I also felt. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:23 AM:

" to coupie:

There's no need to be mean and saracastic... I voiced a concern I"M SURE others were wondering, and TWO MINUTES LATER I posted a note that addressed the situation as resolved (the Pantagraph ARE swamped).
Some of you folk need to lighten up and not be so grim and insulting to others... sheesh. ;-(

To others: I can't be the ONLY ONE who just felt that TREMOR a couple minutes ago.... DID ANYONE ELSE?

"

The Real MRK wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:23 AM:

" Just felt another bit of shaking at approximately 10:15am here at work. People across the floor started mentioning it. Just a gentle shaking of the floor, more frequent vibration than 4:39 this morning, which I also felt. "

s|ren wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:22 AM:

" It just happened again! We just had an aftershock and the computer on my desk shook. Oh lordy, I sure hope this isn't a pre-empt to the big one they are always talking about us possibly getting. No more! lol "

Spanky wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:20 AM:

" I happened to be in Guthrie, Ky. We felt it down here too! "

ISU Stu wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:20 AM:

" I'm over on ISU's campus and we just felt another tremor...it was small but definitely a tremor. Is everyone in my building paranoid or did anybody else feel it too??? "

WonderWoman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:19 AM:

" jipsi, you're not imagining it. I saw your post and I responded. My post never made it. Later I noticed yours was gone. I was at the same place, but in the 80's. Those sonic booms really getcha! "

something to think about wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:18 AM:

" Did I just feel an after shock at around 10:15? "

Dave wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:16 AM:

" Wow. We just had another shakin here in Jacksovnille at 10:14 "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:15 AM:

" OMG, we're having ANOTHER ONE and I"M FREAKING OUT..... "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:13 AM:

" Branhan: HEY, here's one they should also be playing: "I Feel the Earth Move (Under My Feet)" by Carole King.... "

rocket00 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:10 AM:

" This kind of thing only haooens on the west side. It's George Bush's fault. Maybe global warming. Hope the Cubs win today. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:10 AM:

" Qwijibo.Qwijibo: We are enjoying our discussion of this relatively uncommon (for Illinois) event. If it had been a windstorm last night with gusts up to 70mph, I'm SURE there would be plenty chatting about that, and how it affected everyone in different (or exactly the same) ways...
It's OBVIOUS you, too, are caught up in this, or you would not have troubled yourself to read the article, AND the following comments...AND, here the best point, trouble yourself to make a comment of your own!

Smile! No one was hurt, there was little damage, so, as to your "mood", YOU GET OVER IT! :-)
"

coupie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:06 AM:

" Lighten up jipsi, I'm sure you'll have the thrill of reading your own posts very soon. I image the Pantagraph staff is buried in posts just now. Jeesh! "

Qwijibo.Qwijibo wrote on Apr 18, 2008 10:06 AM:

" Hopefully, Michael Bay will make an epic disaster flick all about the Illinois '08 quake. It could include numerous testimonies from people multiple states away who take perverse pleasure in stating that they felt it all the way out there. "

edwards wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:58 AM:

" I grew up in West Salem.
The earthquake was caused by the mad governor sucking all the money out of Southern Illinois and sending it to Chi town.
Recall the governor! "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:48 AM:

" Okay, disregard that... NOW a lot of the ones (missing posts) BETWEEN 7:26 and 9:26 are coming in.... Pantagraph staffers must be FLOODED with comments to monitor this morning... "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:47 AM:

" BNHuman your halarious! This was my first earthquak so I woke up to the shaking of my bed and my birds hissing beause it shook their cage. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:46 AM:

" Hmmmm... I posted a response to Wonder Woman and Kirochka13 around 7:30-7:40am, and it never came up.

Content was purely harmless, too:
...replied to Wonder Woman that I lived in the Mojave desert area in the 60's (when was she there?) and that because I was young then I may have confused some "sonic booms" in with the earthquakes (as to the frequent amount of "ground-shaking, cabinet-rattling" the two share in similarity).

To Kirochka13 I agreed it made me nervous, too, that others may be coming (aftershocks).

AND, I've noticed there seems to be a BIG GAP, in light of how many people are obviously chatting about the earthquake this morning, between 7:26am ("last" post before I and others posted) and 9:26 (finally a "new" post appears!).
TWO HOURS with no comments? Can't be so, because I KNOW *I* made a post (see the trivial small talk, above) in that period...
What's up with the Pantagraph this morning? Anybody else "lose" a post? "

Qwijibo.Qwijibo wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:38 AM:

" It was a minor quake at best. "

Qwijibo.Qwijibo wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:36 AM:

" It was a minor quake. Get over it. "

The Cat wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:34 AM:

" We need to get the Donkey congress to investigate this earthquake! It was either "global warming" or the evil "liar in chief"! They need to make sure it never happens again by passing more laws or making new regulations or taxing dirt and rock on everyone's property. "

Sweetcheeks wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:26 AM:

" I am new to Bloomington and that was the first time I have been in an earthquake. My whole bed shook and rattled my bird cage I have 9 cockatiels so I woke up to shaking and hissing lol "

me2008 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:24 AM:

" felt it in minonk also, It woke me up! was really kinda cool "

branhan wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:11 AM:

" 97.9 BOB FM's "Nine At Nine" Features Earthquake Theme!
Eddie Money - "Shakin"
Chuck Berry - "Reelin & Rockin"
KC & The Sunshine Band - "Shake Your Booty"
Stevie Ray Vaughan - "The House Is Rockin"
The Cars - "Shake It Up"
Temptations - "Shakey Ground"
Jackson 5 - "Shake Your Body To The Ground"
Bill Halley & The Comets - "Shake, Rattle And Roll"
Carole King - "I Feel The Earth Move"

Good Job, R. Dub!!! "

Qwijibo.Qwijibo wrote on Apr 18, 2008 9:08 AM:

" It was a minor quake at best. Get over it. "

Red Reeky wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:50 AM:

" Keep in mind that central Illinois is within the projected damage zone for a "big one" on the New Madrid fault. I earthquake damage is not covered in your homeowners policy unless you add the coverage. It's pretty cheap in this part of the country. It depends on the type of construction of your home, but I think with SF it's about $15/year per $100,000 value of your home. "

HRPuffinstuff wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:46 AM:

" Sapper, you have it all backwards....It's only a matter of time before the Repub blame the liberals...And then point to this earthquake as yet another reason we should remain at war in Iraq. "

SoCal Guy wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:39 AM:

" 5.2??? Try a 7.0 remembering each increment is ten times more powerful. The Northridge earthquake tipped over my refrigerator. And that is hard to do even if you are trying to tip it over. Still. A 5.2 is pretty powerful. "

T wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:35 AM:

" Hopefully there is no damage. SF would find something in your policy so they would not have to pay. I'm sure it's in tiny print somewhere in the policy "

Sapper wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:30 AM:

" Okay, How long before someone blames this all on George Bush? "

Philomath wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:18 AM:

" Man this woke me up. I said "gotta be a quake." Checked the USGS site and sure enough. Then checked the news. This site had it before 5 a.m. Kudos Pantagraph. "

Hilldweller wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:16 AM:

" EG, What I experienced was similar, as if there were tremors and then a pause and then tremors again. "

AD II wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:15 AM:

" I wonder if this is the calm before the storm? Is the BIG ONE not too far away? And I just spent a ton of money on those Backyardigan tickets!!! "

pixie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:08 AM:

" I actually didn't feel a thing over in Bloomington... This happened several years ago, I think about 4 years ago, small tremor... "

itsme wrote on Apr 18, 2008 8:08 AM:

" I cannot believe it did not wake me up or my dogs, they didn't even start barking and they bark at everything! kinda wish I would've woken up! I've never felt an earthquake before. "

Michael wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:54 AM:

" I live in a mobile home with a couple big teenage boys and thought it was one of them walking through the house, but they weren't home last night. I wandered through the rooms and then thought it was an earthquake and went back to bed. I wonder if it was just a practice tremor before the BIG ONE. "

Home town girl wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:52 AM:

" Flanagan, Il felt it.
Woke up to the sound of plates, glasses etc. vibrating. "

lizzie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:48 AM:

" My whole world shook. :-) "

JMK wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:47 AM:

" Woke me up in Grand Rapids, MI. "

keep-sarcasm-alive wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:43 AM:

" It woke me up, but I convinced myself it was a dream. "

gwife2 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:38 AM:

" My husband and I were awakened by the earthquake. At first I thought it was our cat straching it claws on our laundry basket but it kept on. Then we thought maybe something exploxed so I got up to look around outside and when I came back to bed my husband said "I think that was an earthquake". It didn't last very long. I remember being a little girl when I lived in southern IL and we had one. I remember books flying off the shelves at our home. It didn't last very long either but it was neat to see and experience something you don't normally get to do. Glad to hear their wasn't major damage or injuries. Mother nature at her best and what a wake up call she gave us;) "

kdkauf wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:36 AM:

" This was not the New Madrid fault. It was part of the Illinois Basin-Ozark Dome region. Still a good excuse to listen to a little Uncle Tupelo this morning. "

Jay G wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:36 AM:

" I woke up because I thought my dogs were having an early morning wrestling match, but I soon realized the furniture in my bedroom was shaking. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I could feel it. By the time I got up, I caught the last 15 seconds. I wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Afterall, it was 4:40 AM (according to my clock) and I was half asleep to try and think clearly. On my way to work this morning, my wife called me and asked me what the time was that I got up. When I told her, she said "That was an earthquake". "

Alex wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:32 AM:

" It woke me from a dead sleep...I thought it might have been a tornado that was shaking the apartment, but when I looked out the window, everything looked calm. I went back to bed, but my heart was racing. My mother called me from Chicago to ask me if I was ok. "

SMOSIER wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:26 AM:

" I LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME HERE IN BLOOMINGTON.
I WAS WOKE UP AROUND 4:41 THIS MORNING WITH
MY MOBILE HOME SHAKING. IT RATTLED A FEW THINGS
OFF MY DRESSER. "

BNHuman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:26 AM:

" Too bad that is the only thing that has shaken my bed like that in a long time! "

steph515 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:25 AM:

" We felt it here in Pontiac too! I thought it was just a bunch of those Harleys riding real fast past the house! LOL!! Definitely woke me up!! "

Home Plate wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:21 AM:

" To: Mia, Yes there is a small fault that runs under Downs, but it extends from Ottawa to Monticello. It may not be found on the National Geographic Survey. This fault had no relationship to this morning's quake that was centered near Salem, IL.
You will find that most quakes east of the Mississippi River are centered in Tennessee or southern Kentucky and have an average magnitude of 4.3 or less. "

WorkinTheOpinionBoard wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:03 AM:

" i felt it this morning too...almost rolled over to smack my huband awake because he was snoring! then remembered he was at work. :) i do remember the birds went awful quiet outside...when it ended, they picked up where they left off...darn birds....gotta remember to shut the window! "

floyd wrote on Apr 18, 2008 7:01 AM:

" There was an earthquake in central Illinois in the 80's. around 85 or 86 I think.
Glad I have and have had earthquake insurance for the past 17 years. People should figure out if they're covered by earthquake and if not you could wind up like many in the Katrina area did with nothing covered. The odds are rare but I won't gamble that I won't have earthquake damage sometime. I'd especially check my policy if I had State Farm.
"

WonderWoman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:59 AM:

" jipsi, no worries. I lived at Edwards from 82-88. Yup, those sonic booms are a real treat if you're not used to them. ;) Even the airplanes here can rattle the house and you think there's a quake. Not that that happened to me or anything. ;) "

michelle24 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:57 AM:

" WOW! I must have actually fallen asleep, I did'nt feel anything. I did have a dream about seeing my mother. She looks WONDERFUL!!! :) "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:54 AM:

" kirochka13: My feelings exactly (hoping another one isn't on the way...): I've had ENOUGH for awhile! LOL.
Our cats are STILL freaked out and nervous, hours later...
They've just "downgraded" the temblor to 5.2 (still a STRONG one, first one this strong since 1968 or 1969), as of 6:45 am...

"

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:51 AM:

" Wonder Woman: I lived there (AFB, Edwards) from 1963-ish to 1970...you? What area? I LOVE the desert. I *may* (forgive, I was a child at the time) have exaggerated on the AMOUNT of earthquakes, but they WERE a common occurence! I think I may have mixed the "sonic booms" (jet airplanes breaking the sound barrier at Edwards) into that "amount", too: they created an effect much like an earthquake, only it didn't last as long... "

crouton wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:42 AM:

" I'm in Kansas and felt it. The handles on my dresser were shaking and clinking around and then the bed shook. I thought it was my imagination until I signed online this morning and saw this article!!! "

events wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:42 AM:

" I have a niece visiting from California, can't wait to see what she says about our Il. earthquake. "

Mr Ranger587 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:40 AM:

" i slept right through it. and im learning bout quakes in science.D'oh "

kirochka13 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:31 AM:

" It woke us up in Bloomington. I'm from CA, and I knew what it was right away. My boyfriend though it was the wind rattling the windows. Silly Chicago-boy. It's been a long time since I've been jolted from sleep by an earthquake. 5.4 is a pretty good sized quake. Hope it doesn't mean a bigger one's on the way. "

jms2k wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:31 AM:

" I live 45 minutes east of stl. Could really feel it shaking! At first I thought it was a tornado because of thelimbs hitting my roof. Lasted a good 30-40 seconds! Never felt a tremor that big before! "

sue in Indiana wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:26 AM:

" We felt it over in Anderson,IN just north of Indianapolis. And I thought moving back to the mid west I would get away from the earthquakes I expereinced in Southern california. "

WonderWoman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:22 AM:

" Not to stir the pot or anything, but I grew up in the Mojave, too, and there weren't earthquakes weekly or monthly. We're just all a little excited from the earthquake today and trying to wrap our heads around it. "

Mia wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:17 AM:

" I remember reading somewhere long ago that there is a fault that runs from Carlock to Downs. Does anyone know if that's true and if so where can we get more info? Thanks! "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:17 AM:

" Good point, ML.
I was half-joking when I responded...
But I know now I should NOT have used the phrase "Sure as HECK woke ME up!" LOL
"

EG wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:12 AM:

" I thought I felt two different tremors. Anyone else? "

ML wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:10 AM:

" jipsi, chill out. I am sure that dman was making a play on how news interviewers always manage to choose the biggest morons to interview about what is happening in the community...thus making a reflection on the rest of the community! "

buckeye wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:09 AM:

" Didnt hit here must have went around the compond here west of bloomington. "

Blackneto wrote on Apr 18, 2008 6:04 AM:

" Where did this hit? West Salem? I bet the damage is in the 10's of dollars. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:59 AM:

" drksky: The article was a LOT more sparse, than it is now, when I posted... They're UPDATING the article as they get more news.
Just an FYI... :-)
"

Pinko Commie wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:56 AM:

" I had a dream the tremors were from the wrecking ball hitting the Judy Dome. Woke up to the harsh reality it was "only" an earthquake. =( "

drksky wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:53 AM:

" Jipsi, had you read the story, you have seen that the New Madrid fault was not to blame for this one. There is a region called the Illinois Basin-Ozark Dome region which includes a number of smaller fault lines.

Despite what people thing, earthquakes aren't all that uncommon in southern IL. They're just not huge. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:51 AM:

" dman: Are you implying ONLY "rednecks" felt the quake? Or are you insinuating EVERYONE in Central Illinois is a "redneck" because we FELT the quake and are reporting in (so to speak)???
I think you need to go back to bed and roll off the OTHER side... "

Annienap wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:51 AM:

" I felt a quake while living in Normal in 1968 or 1969 and it was SCAREY! It was not as strong as this one, but it did cause some cracks in the walls of my Mom's house all the way up in Kankakee. A few years later, there was another tremor, but I was on the second floor of a downtown building and didn't feel it. Let me tell you - that first one was pretty freaky! I was on the toilet and it felt like someone grabbed the toilet and shook it. I thought I was having a nightmare except I wasn't asleep. Hadn't had a thing to drink either. "

ML wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:46 AM:

" Yeah, since no one was hurt and there wasn't damage done, that was pretty cool! I thought I was nuts until I saw my cat looking around like, "what is that?" In my dozing state I wondered if it was wind or an intruder...then I heard my plant stand rattling and I knew it was a tremor. I was already awake but it woke my husband up and he sleeps soundly. I can't imagine how scary a major earthquake would be...wow. "

kalyn04 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:45 AM:

" Felt it here in chenoa, weird but cool at the same time haha. "

Kevin wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:45 AM:

" is this a belated Aprils fools joke? i didn't even know about it until i read this in the morning. didn'[t wake me up "

alleeenterprise wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:40 AM:

" We felt it here in Davenport! Kind of cool.. lol "

dman wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:29 AM:

" nice..now 1000 redneck replies about how "it felt like someone picked up muh house and gave it a good shakin too" "

SuzyQ wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:27 AM:

" I Felt these tremors this morning and my Amazon Parrot went crazy in her cage. I thought I was going nuts till I turned on the Police Scanner and they were talking about it. "

jipsi wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:22 AM:

" It sure as heck woke ME up... windows rattling, knick-knacks clinking, BED SHAKING, and I sat up, put my feet over the side of the bed and almost fell forward when I FELT the EARTH SHAKING UNDER MY FEET.... LOL
At first thought it was my old house "settling" (God forbid), perhaps a rumble of thunder with a lot of drowsy imagination, someone had drove into my house somewhere (because that's what they always say such a thing feels like, an earthquake...)....

WOW. At least the INFO was online, and FAST: it was up at the USGS site less than 5 minutes after it happened at 4:36 am, and now, about 20 minutes later, the Pantagraph.
Just glad it wasn't ME, imagining (and worse, feeling) the incident, on my own!
Now, taking a deep breath and...NOT calming down, though.
An EARTHQUAKE of 5.4???
In central to eastern Illinois?
Isn't the New Madrid Fault along the WEST edge of Illinois???
So what was THIS one, then?

Reminded me of when I was growing up in California's Mojave Desert and experienced WORSE than this one on a weekly/monthly basis... "

the dispeptic skeptic wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:20 AM:

" If you felt the quake, you can report it and fill out a brief survey about the experience at the website www.usgs.gov. "

OC wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:20 AM:

" That was eery....it knocked a picture off a shelf. Glad it wasn't worse or else I'm sure any damages wouldn't be covered by my insurance carrier. I better check my policy. "

kz17 wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:18 AM:

" It may have only lasted 10 seconds in Downs, but it felt more like 30 seconds here in Bloomington and everyone in the house felt it. "

OGS wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:15 AM:

" Yep, woke up me and the dawg. "

PantaReader wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:12 AM:

" It woke us up! "

the dispeptic skeptic wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:10 AM:

" Wow! My shaking bed woke me up this morning, and I though perhaps ... thunder. But then I heard the bottles in the refrigerator clinking and knew it was an earthquake. This is the second time in recent years that I can remember - there was one centered near Ottawa a few years back. "

The Real Illini Fan wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:09 AM:

" It rattled the doors here in Ironwood. "

Mia wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:09 AM:

" Woo Hoo!!! Rock and Roll!! It woke me up! "
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