While many things are happening in Chicago—feeling an earthquake was not on our list this week. Approximately 100 miles southwest of Chicago, the United States Geological Survey reported a minor, 3.6 magnitude earthquake in Illinois occurred at 4:42 a.m. Wednesday with an epicenter in Standard, Ilinois.
While the impact was mainly felt by residents of Putnam County, residents in Ottawa, Streator, Pontiac, and Springfield may have also been jolted awake by the impact according to a USGS map of the quake.
The USGS registers tremblor intensities on a nine-level scale. Wednesday’s 3.6 magnitude earthquake ranks as a level three light earthquake on the scale. Residents in the area may have felt a “light” shaking, but according to the USGS, an earthquake in Illinois with “light” perceived shaking is not expected to create damage.
According to the Associated Press, Administrative Lt. Doug Bernabei with the Peru Police Department reported “he had not heard of any reports of damage because of the quake. He said Illinois Valley Regional Dispatch, based in Peru and covering several north-central Illinois communities, received dozens of calls from residents who felt the quake.”
Wondering how intense an earthquake has ever been? According to the map, one of the largest earthquakes in Illinois was in May of 1909 when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Chicago suburb of Lockport.