US Geological Survey confirms 3.6 magnitude earthquake in Illinois, details inside
earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 struck Standard, Illinois, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Standard, located approximately 100 miles southwest of Chicago in Putnam County, became the epicenter of the seismic activity that unfolded at 4:42 a.m.
The quake's effects rippled across the region, reaching as far as Ottawa, Streator, Pontiac, and Springfield, with reports of residents in Aurora and DeKalb County also feeling the impact, according to the USGS. While a 3.6 magnitude earthquake is classified as «light» on the USGS intensity scale, indicating that residents might have experienced a «light» shaking, it is not anticipated to cause significant damage. On the USGS scale, «light» ranks as level three out of nine.
The Associated Press quoted administrative Lt. Doug Bernabei from the Peru Police Department several miles north of Standard, who described the immediate aftermath. «It shook my house. It wasn’t a rattle, I thought something hit the house. A lot of people were waking up,» he said, emphasizing the surge of 911 calls received by the dispatch center.
Illinois – a major seismic zone
Illinois, while not commonly associated with earthquakes, is, in fact, at risk from two major seismic zones, according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security.
These zones include the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The Wabash Valley Zone spans southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, while the New Madrid Seismic Zone encompasses states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Over a 50-year period, there is a 25 to 40 per cent chance of a magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquake in
