Indiana earthquake 2021: 3.8-magnitude tremor hits near Bloomingdale | Tremors felt in Chicago area

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, June 17, 2021
3.8-magnitude earthquake hits western Indiana, felt in Chicago
A 3.8-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Indiana and Illinois Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 3.8-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Indiana and Illinois Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.



The quake struck around 2:18 p.m. with its epicenter near Bloomingdale, Ind., about 130 miles south of Chicago.





ABC7 Meteorologist Larry Mowry said some people in the Chicago area reported feeling the earthquake.



The quake occurred within the Wabash Valley Fault System found in southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois, an ancient fault zone that occasionally produces earthquakes, Mowry said.



"I think people in Indiana do occasionally expect a small earthquake like this one," said Suzan van der Lee, a professor in the Dept. of Earth & Planetary Science at Northwestern University. "It's not unheard of in Indiana."



According to Mowry, the last time there was an earthquake of this size in Indiana was December 2010, when a 3.8-magnitude quake rattled parts of Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. And in 2008, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook Mount Carmel, Illinois.



So far, there are no reports of any damage or injuries.

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