IU Professor: Earthquake Giving Seismologists Wealth Of Information

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(BLOOMINGTON) - Indiana University has released some information from their geology department over this past weekend’s earthquakes, centering in Southeast Illinois.

IU Professor of Geological Studies Michael Hamburger says the Friday morning quake, with a magnitude of 5.2, was the strongest since a 5.5 shaker hit near Carbondale, Illinois, in the far southern tip of the state, back in 1968.

Hamburger also says more than 2 dozen aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake, thought only two were noticeable, those being the one after 11:00am Friday morning, and the one at 1:30 yesterday morning.

Since the aftershock sequence after Friday's earthquake has been relatively active, Hamburger says seismologists have been rushing out to gather an absolute wealth of information, since these events are so rare.

The last time the Midwest has actually had an earthquake that could be felt significantly was 1987, though there was a smaller one in 2001.

Seismologists are saying these quakes have been more due to activity in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, than the New Madrid Zone which follows close to the Mississippi, however, activity in one allows them to better understand the other.

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