Rare early morning 3.8 earthquake rattles Indiana

Examiner, December 30th, 2010 11:58 am ET

An early morning earthquake rattled central Indiana and was felt by some Chicago residents as well. The United States Geological Survey reported a 3.8 magnitude tremor struck about 15 miles east-southeast of Kokomo, Indiana at 7:55 AM EST or 6:55 AM local time. The quake was originally reported as a magnitude 4.2, but that has since been reduced.

The epicenter was located at 40.427°N, 85.888°W, at a depth of 4.9 kilometers (3 miles), or about 50 miles north-northeast of Indianapolis. The director of the Indiana Geological Society stated that the quakes location at three miles below the ground was "highly irregular" and "extremely rare" in an area that is not seismically active.

Residents in Chicago and other Illinois towns reported their beds shaking and ceiling fans moved early Thursday when the tremor struck. Other residents in Indiana reported their homes rattling and shaking for about 5 to 7 seconds. Experts said that a quake of this magnitude would feel like a loaded truck passing by your home.

As of 9:30 AM CST, there were no reports of damage or injuries.

There were no reports of any shaking from upstate New York or the Albany area, but there was one report of weak shaking felt in Pittstown, New Jersey. Albany is about 650 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. Stay tuned for any further developments on this story throughout the day.