A small earthquake shook central and southern Illinois early Tuesday morning, with effects reaching as far as Champaign-Urbana.
The 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred 36 miles southeast of Springfield at 1:27 a.m., according to Robert Bauer, principal engineering geologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey.
It is possible that C-U residents could have felt the earthquake, as the cities sit on an outer ring of the intensity map. Bauer said that, at this distance, people may have felt trembling similar to that of a light truck passing by.
“You’d have to be totally awake, and probably sitting still, to even feel anything like that,” Bauer told The Daily Illini.
Earthquakes in central Illinois are not entirely unusual. Bauer said there have been 675 recorded earthquakes in Illinois since 1795. Magnitude 3 earthquakes happen in the area roughly every two years.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
According to Bauer, 90% of these events occur in the southern third of the state. 6% occur in the northern third, while only 4% take place in the central portion.
The earthquake was caused by movement along a fault in the bedrock beneath Illinois, at a depth of 8.8 km, according to the United States Geological Survey. When sections of rock on either side of the fault slide past one another, pent-up energy is released and felt as a tremor on the surface.
No injuries were reported as a result of the event, but Bauer shared some tips for staying safe in the case of a more severe earthquake.
“If you’re inside a building, you don’t run outside, number one,” Bauer said. “Number two, duck down and maybe get under something, a desk or a table, or alongside a bed. Hang on to the table so it won’t shake away from you.”
