The Earth Was Quaking...

[jdmidwest]

Had a little earthquake here this morning at 4:40. Shaking was subsiding by the time I woke up then it picked back up. 5.4 on the Richter scale, first one I have felt since the early 90's. No damage, local news has something to do today, had to cancel the live report from the azaela fest to head to Salem Il to the epicenter.

[flyfishmaster]

I got woke me up this morning as well, the pictures frames were shaking for a about 30 seconds. At first I thought it was a tornado, but there was nothing going on outside.

The epicenter was by the small town of New Salem, IL close to the Indiana border.

Here I thought a vibrating bed was just installed.

Be safe out there.

FFM

[Al Agnew]

Yep, first shock woke me up and the second one was longer and rattled things pretty good. Strongest one I've ever felt. And the epicenter is quite a ways from Ste. Genevieve County! Wife sat up in bed and asked, "Is this the big one?" I said no, but it's pretty strong.

I've always been somewhat of a student of the New Madrid and related faults. In the back of my mind, there has always been this rather sick wish that the next big New Madrid quake happens while I'm alive to experience it...even though I KNOW that it will be a true disaster for the Midwest and the country.

[skeeter]

Strongest quake since the 5.2 in 1968. If memory serves that one was epicentered in S. Illinois also. The rumbling noise was pretty strong too. Reminded me of when the military used to break the sound barrier over STL in the 1950's and the resounding BOOOM that shook everything, this one just lasted longer and was a lot deeper. Odd this should come from the Wabash fault zone when all you hear and read about is New Madrid.

[jdmidwest]

10:20 AM, had another shaker about a 4 I would say.

[Al Agnew]

All the fault zones from the New Madrid up the Ohio River Valley are interconnected in some ways. It would seem to be another indication that the New Madrid is due. The ones up in S. Ill. seem to be relieving pressure, but not the New Madrid.

But then again, with all the study of the fault zones in this area, there are still a lot of unknowns. It's hard to study a fault (the New Madrid) that's under several thousand feet of sediment.

[Guest]

deleted

[BKB]

I will echo the statement about the rumbling sound that went with the first shake this morning. Was pretty strong here in St. Charles County.

[flyfshn]

Woke up at 4:30 sweating and just as I was getting ready to fall asleep, everything started shaking. Thought it was thunder at first, but it kept going and going! Felt the second one at 10:15 this morning in my office, a 3 story building.....everyone said "Earthquake".

[Don]

All the fault zones from the New Madrid up the Ohio River Valley are interconnected in some ways. It would seem to be another indication that the New Madrid is due. The ones up in S. Ill. seem to be relieving pressure, but not the New Madrid.

But then again, with all the study of the fault zones in this area, there are still a lot of unknowns. It's hard to study a fault (the New Madrid) that's under several thousand feet of sediment.

Previous discussions I've had about the awakening of the New Madrid raised the question about the integrity of the dams throughout the Whire River Basin.

Don