3.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Southern Illinois

A minor earthquake was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey at 7:41 pm Friday near Fairfield in southern Illinois.  The USGS says the center of the 3.4 magnitude quake was about 6 miles north Fairfield.

The Illinois Basin of the Ozark Dome region borders the much more seismically active New Madrid fault zone.  The USGS says frequent earthquakes occur at irregular intervals throughout the region on several different faults.  Friday evening's quake was felt throughout much of southern Illinois, portions of western Kentucky, and southwest Indiana, according to the USGS

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake on that fault line damaged buildings in southern Illinois in 1968.  Back in 2008 on the nearby Wabash fault line, a magnitude 5.4 quake was followed by a 4.6 aftershock six hours later, followed by a 4.0 aftershock 3 days later. 

The Wabash fault quake's epicenter was located northwest of Evansville, Indiana, near the communities of West Salem, Mount Carmel, and Bellmont. The USGS says that quake was felt as far away as Kansas City, Atlanta, and Canada, and shook high rises in Chicago, Milwaukee, Louisville, St. Louis, and Nashville. Some minor damage was reported across the area, according to the USGS.

The 3.4 magnitude quake that happened Friday evening is generally considered too small to have any damage.  The USGS says while it's possible to feel a 2.5 quake and larger, most people will feel a 3.0 or greater quake if they're near the epicenter, and damage increases exponentially as the shaking moves up the Richter Scale.