Earthquake Rocks Mid West

5.4 earthquake rocks Illinois; felt 350 miles away
WEST SALEM, Ill. (AP) - A 5.4 earthquake that appeared to rival the
strongest recorded in the region rocked people awake up to 350 miles away
early Friday, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a powerful Midwest
temblor.
The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered 6 miles from West Salem, Ill.,
and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt in such distant cities as
Chicago, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, 350 miles north of the epicenter, but
there were no early reports of injuries or significant damage.
"It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, 10 miles
south of Champaign. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house
was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's
not like California."
The quake shook skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop, 240 miles north of the
epicenter, and in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles northeast of it.
Residents of Cincinnati and St. Louis also reported feeling the earth shake.
Irvetta McMurtry of Cincinnati said she felt the rattling for up to 20
seconds.
"All of a sudden, I was awakened by this rumbling shaking," said McMurtry,
43. "My bed is an older wood frame bed, so the bed started to creak and
shake, and it was almost like somebody was taking my mattress and moving it
back and forth."
Lucas Griswold, a dispatcher in West Salem, said the Edwards County
sheriff's department received reports of minor damage and no injuries.
"Oh, yeah, I felt it. It was interesting," Griswold said. "A lot of
shaking."
Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle in Evansville said there
were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake occurred in the Illinois basin-Ozark dome region that covers parts
of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas and stretches from
Indianapolis and St. Louis to Memphis, according to the U.S. Geological
Survey.
The organization's Web site said earthquakes occur irregularly in the area,
and that the largest historical earthquake in the region - also a magnitude
5.4 - caused damage in southern Illinois in 1968.