Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Indiana earthquake measured at 3.8

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) tracked an earthquake on Thursday within the Indiana area. The 3.8-magnitude quake did zero destruction, however individuals were certainly frightened. “Indiana” and “earthquake” are two words that aren’t commonly associated, although a handful of notable earthquakes in Indiana have occurred over the past 200 years. Individuals have gone as far as applying for pay day loans for emergency preparedness. Resource for this article – Indiana earthquake measures 3.8, riles heartlanders by MoneyBlogNewz.

North of Indianapolis receives heart of Indiana earthquake

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake’s epicenter was located about 50 miles north of Indianapolis. The quake started at 7:55 a.m. and was located approximately three miles beneath the surface. The Indiana earthquake lasted just a couple seconds, but the 3.8 magnitude trembler was powerful enough to be experienced in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Initially, the Indiana earthquake was reported as a 4.2 magnitude earthquake, however the USGS downgraded the earthquake to a 3.8. Law enforcement got a ton of phone calls after all the booms that came with the Indiana earthquake although that is really normal, according to USGS geophysicist Randy Baldwin.

Area doesn’t have fault lines even near

A location that is “seismically very quiet” and is not a common place for earthquakes is where the Indiana earthquake occurred, geologist at Indiana University, Michael Hamburger, told local Television station WTHR. Considering that there are no fault lines nearby, it seems odd that there could possibly be much Indiana earthquake history.

An earthquake can take place anywhere stress builds up in earth’s crust, states Baldwin.

The Indiana earthquake history

The Indiana earthquake background shows the New Madrid earthquakes taken place in 1811 and 1812 which are the first recorded. On the Richter scale, the earthquakes were between 7.0 and 7.7. September 27, 1909 was when probably the most damaging Indiana earthquake taken place. It was between Vincennes and Terre Haute near the Illinois border. While only a 5.1 magnitude quake, its extended nature brought on a fantastic deal of structural damage to homes and other buildings. The quake in 1909 was felt for a long stretch. Over 30,000 square miles felt it.

Articles cited

Chicago Tribune

chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-indianaearthquake,0,6548124.story

USGS

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/indiana/history.php

Local TV coverage of Indiana earthquake

youtube.com/watch?v=WCXt2NilqoI



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