Another Aftershock

The trembling earth

It's about 12:45 a.m., and we've just felt another aftershock, presumably related to the Wabash Valley earthquake that occurred on April 18th As in the last one that I felt, the floor shook perceptibly, the ceiling fan blades vibrated, and the glass light fixtures rattled.

I hope that all these small tremors are releasing the tensions in the fault. I don't want to experience any earthquakes more major than this.

As I've been typing this, the floor has seemed to move slightly a few more times. I don't know if I'm feeling aftershocks of the aftershock, or if my imagination is just hyperactive.

I'm going to bed now, and I hope for no more disturbances during the night!

UPDATE: This aftershock was magnitude 4.5. It was centered near Mt. Carmel, IL, in the Wabash Valley, according to the USGS Earthquake list and map.

Interesting Article About the Earthquake

Worth reading

The AP has an interesting article about the Wabash Valley earthquake. It seems that scientists know very little about the Wabash fault, but they think it has produced strong earthquakes in the past.

Related post: Wabash Valley Earthquake, April 18, 2008

Wabash Valley Earthquake, April 18, 2008

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on

An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude occurred at about 4:35 this morning in the Wabash Valley of southeastern Illinois, roughly 40 miles northwest of Evansville, Indiana

I was sound asleep in bed when it happened, but the shaking of the house woke me up. Dennis was up and busy with his morning routine -- doing his exercises, running the washing machine, and getting ready for work.

In my sleepy stupor, I imagined that the washing machine was shaking the whole house during its spin cycle. I thought that the load of clothing must be terribly unbalanced. The shaking quit after a few more seconds, and I went back to sleep immediately.

When I got up this morning, Keely asked me if I had felt the earthquake in the night. She had built it into a dream about a bulldozer hitting the house, causing the walls to shudder. Like me, she didn't realize it was an earthquake when she felt it.

Our experiences were nothing like those of people near the epicenter:

At Mesa Lake, retiree Harvey Manor described the quake as "a deep roar."

"I got out of bed. It was ominous ... a deep roar. I knew it was an earthquake," Manor said. "I thought it might be the big one they've talked about us having.

Source: "Earthquake, aftershocks rattle Tri-State" by Rich Davis and Ryan Reynolds, Evansville Courier & Press, April 18, 2008

At about 10:15 this morning, I felt an aftershock. The floor quivered slightly, the dishes and glass shelves in the china cabinet rattled a little and I noticed that the ceiling fan blades were trembling. The Evansville Courier & Press (article cited above) reports the 10:15 a.m. shock at 4.5 magnitude.

Over a dozen aftershocks have exceeded 3.0 magnitude, but that's the only one I've noticed. It's my day off, and I took a nap after everyone left this morning. Apparently none of the aftershocks were strong enough to wake me up.

Did you feel this earthquake or any of its aftershocks? Please tell us about it in the comments. Also, you can make a report to the U.S. Geological Survey website about this quake.