Did The Earth Move For You?

Some residents in the Upper Midwest were surprised to be shaken by an earthquake last night.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 4.3, was centered near Virgil, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, at a depth of about three miles. There were no immediate reports of aftershocks... Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the agency, said that the tremor was only the second notable earthquake in more than 30 years to rattle the area. Even though the quake was relatively small, it was felt by residents as far away as southern Wisconsin...

One of the best sources for information on earthquakes is the U. S. Geological Survey; the map above shows that earthquakes are common along the Pacific coast, but in just the past week they have also been recorded near the New Madrid fault and in New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and the Rockies. A comparable map of world earthquakes is available at the same link.

News link. USGS link.

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Supposedly it moved here (northwest of Madison, WI). I was awake but didn't feel anything.

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That USGS website is a good one. It solved a mystery for me a while back. I lived in Michigan at the time and was (literally) jolted awake in the middle of the night by a loud bang and the very unsettling feeling of the house moving. At first I thought it was a dream but then I noticed my cat had been frightened by it too. Then I wondered if a vehicle had hit my house. I went outside and saw nothing unusual and the incident just became something that puzzled me for years. I never thought it could have been a minor earthquake but after looking it up it turned out it was!

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Ack stupid phone that should be TRAIN not twin.

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I remember the 87 earthquake though I was only 5 at thr time. We were in the car when it happened though.
I live in the northweelst Indiana region and this one woke me up. I thought it was a twin as we have tracks close by but it didn't feel quite right. Being half asleep I dismissed it as a train and went back to sleep. This morning my husband said "we had a earthquake" my response "THATs what that was. "

Almost the same thing happened in 08 when we had another earthquake. That time I thought it was hubby getting in or out of bed. The next morning I found out it wasn't him. He wasn't even in bed at the time so I was yelling at the earthquake!