Image from USGS
Yep, we had an earthquake this morning. 5.4 on the Richter Scale. It woke me up from a dead sleep at 5:38 AM Eastern Time. No damage here, other than some pictures knocked askew and a couple fell off the walls.
This quake was interesting in that we're about 208 miles from the epicenter in New Salem, Illinois, which is about 22 miles SW of Vincennes, Indiana. Apparently, from what I gather, the quake was felt as far away as Northern Florida. You don't normally think of Central Indiana or the Midwest as an earthquake zone, but it is!
The New Madrid fault, which runs up along the Mississippi River valley is relatively near. We're also on the edge of the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. The epicenter of the earthquake is very
near the large red dot near the Indiana/Illinois Border. More aftershocks are occurring as we speak. It's going to be an interesting day.
Homeland Security has their earthquake preparedness plan in action, and INDOT are currently out checking Bridges and overpasses.
Further information about Indiana Earthquakes is available here.
Now, the good news! We have a gorgeous day today and I'm going to go ride my bike!
2 comments:
There are occasional tremors in downstate IL, but that 5.2 was a biggie! Something I've wondered about while cycling in California is where I should ditch to as I cycle underneath buildings, bridges, powerlines and other overhead hazards.
Get into the open, away form anything overhead and away from unstable hillsides.
If you are downtown, bet some overhead protection quick, as glass will be falling from the buildings, as well as bricks, etc.
Best I could tell ya!
Post a Comment