People across the Midwest were awakened today by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage.Dozens of aftershocks followed, one with a magnitude of 4.5.The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered six miles from West Salem, Il. It was felt in distant cities such as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta, nearly 400 miles to the southeast.
The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the New Madrid fault about six miles north of Mount Carmel, Il., said United States Geological Survey geophysicist Randy Baldwin.
The last earthquake in the region to approach the severity of Friday's temblor was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002.
The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968, when a 5.3-magnitude temblor was recorded about 75 miles southeast of St. Louis, according the USGS. The damage was minor but widespread and there were no serious injuries.
Experts say that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.
The San Francisco earthquake also on April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time. Over 700 deaths resulted from the quake.
