Local News

2 Quakes Strike Downstate, Tremors In Chicago

First Quake Was 5.2; Second Was 4.6; No Reports Of Injuries Or Damage In Chicago

 Earthquake Felt From Michigan To Georgia

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The second strongest Midwestern earthquake in recent history struck southern Illinois and brought tremors and panic throughout Chicago early Friday, and a second quake sent shockwaves less than six hours later.

The second quake measured 4.6 magnitude and hit at 10:14 a.m. The first one, with a magnitude of 5.2 struck early Friday, around 4:30 a.m.

There were no injuries or structural damage reported in Northern Illinois, but many people were curious and even panicked.

 Tell Us What You Felt When The Tremor Struck

Viewer Comments: Part I | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake struck with an epicenter about seven miles from downstate Mt.Carmel, and about 66 miles west of Evansville, Ind., at 4:36:57 a.m., in a northward extension of the New Madrid fault area. Initially pegged as a 5.4 earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey revised its estimate to give it a value of 5.2. It is the second strongest ever recorded in Illinois. The second quake's epicenter was located about eight miles east of New Salem, Ill. and 42 miles northwest of Evansville, Ind.

Mt. Carmel is about 230 miles south of Chicago. It was felt in such distant cities as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta, nearly 400 miles to the southeast. 

Several aftershocks rumbled through the region hours later.

Curiosity, Panic In Chicago Area
Downtown skyscrapers shook and many people got an early wake-up call from the jolts felt in the Chicago area Friday morning. Some people were left more than a little nervous.

The quake was felt from the lakefront high-rises to the farthest suburbs. It lasted anywhere from 10 to 45 seconds.

As CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports, officials from the city Office of Emergency Management and Communications said they received 100 calls right at the time of the early morning earthquake. They said building owners and managers should check for damage. Ciy inspectors were also out checking structures.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the Fire Department had not been sent out on any emergency calls, but there was a spike in calls to 911 at 4:40 a.m.

"The tremor was very short, and from the information we're getting now, we had no significant damage in Chicago that we've been able to ascertain as yet, and no significant injuries either," Langford said.

City Office of Emergency Management and Communications spokeswoman Jennifer Martinez said the department has received several calls.

"Earlier this morning, we received several calls to the 911 Center with reports of the earth shaking. No reports of damage this time. We want to remind residents to stay calm," Martinez said. "If you have an emergency, call 911, but if you're looking for information, call 311."

The Illinois State Police sent troopers to the Edens Expressway where rebar pushed up from the pavement Friday morning and "flattened a few tires," said spokesman Lt. Scott Compton.

It was uncertain whether the quake had caused the expressway damage, Compton said.

At the CBS 2 studios at 630 N. McClurg Ct., lights, audiovisual equipment and other items shook as the staff prepared for the news, and many of the staff reported the building shook.

CBS 2 front desk security guard Stephen Jennings felt the earthquake while at work.

"I was sitting at the shipping dock at the time, and the chair began to sway very, very slightly. I thought I was having muscle spasms," he said. Jennings has worked in the building for 25 years, and said he has never felt anything like it.

Roban Singh and Laura Martinez were waiting on customers when they felt their gas station convenience store in Bolingbrook begin to shake.

"We were just astonished, wondering what was happening," said Roban Singh, an attendant who was working the overnight shift at a gas station in Bolingbrook.

"(Martinez) was sitting over there," Singh said. "She told me, 'Did you feel something is, like, shaking? The glasses, that stand is shaking.'"

The shelves and displays swayed and shook. The cigarette display behind the counter at the store was thrown out of alignment.

A motorist, Luis Gonzalez, said he was taking a shower when he noticed the towels and shower curtain moving.

"I saw everything shake. I went to my room, and I asked my wife what was going on, and she said the bed was shaking," Gonzalez said. "I looked out the window to see if there was a lot of wind."

Patsy Mondry thought it was a strong wind too. The quake woke her and her dog.

"I woke up to my dog barking and the bed was moving, and the door was shaking," she sad.

Timothy Macaskill said the quake woke him up in his Chicago high-rise. He felt his bed "swaying back and forth and I heard some furniture in my living room creak. A little weird to feel this all the way up on the 18th floor of a high-rise.''

Tom Perry of Crown Point, Ind., said everything shook as he was up working.

"I'm an attorney, and I was up working on some cases, and we felt lateral shifting, and it lasted about 10 seconds," Perry said. "We had some things hanging that were shifting back and forth…. We don't have any structural damage."

Maria of Bourbonnais said her house shook in a terrifying tremor.

"I was actually up early with my husband going to work, and I was on the computer, and the birds were chirping outside, the windows were open, and all of a sudden I heard this rumbling. First I heard my dog pacing downstairs, which is unusual for a little dog, and then everything started shaking – this rumbling noise – and I have a chandelier on the wall that has crystals hanging from it," she said. "It was a good five seconds, I would say. It was unusual."

Rebecca Garcia of Chicago said the ceiling and walls in her attic began swaying and shaking rapidly.

"(The) first thought I had was that we were having a earthquake and we both thought it was going to cave in. It sure did look like it was. We both jumped up ran downstairs and everything was fine. My mom also woke up from the sound of her wall mirror shaking. It seemed at that moment everything was silent," Garcia continued. "We heard nothing but the shaking of the walls. Even the birds chirping seemed to have disappeared."

The epicenter for the earthquake was an extension of the New Madrid Fault, which is the largest center for seismic activity east of the Rockies. It produces numerous small quakes a year, but most are too weak to be noticed by the public.

CBS 2's Mary Kay Kleist reported the most recent severe earthquake in the area hit in 1968. That earthquake was slightly less severe than this one, with a magnitude of 5.3.

In 1811 and 1812, the fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater.

The Wabash fault zone, which is a northward extension of the New Madrid fault line, generated a magnitude 5.0 quake in 2002 and a 5.1 in 1987.

In 1990, scientist Iben Browning said the New Madrid fault line was due for a catastrophic earthquake, but that never happened.

CBS 2's Joanie Lum and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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