The United States Geological Survey reported a minor, 3.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:42 a.m. Wednesday with an epicenter in Standard, Ill.
Standard in Putnam County, is approximately 100 miles southwest of Chicago.
According to a USGS map of the quake, residents in Ottawa, Streator, Pontiac and Springfield may have felt the impact. Additionally, some in Aurora and DeKalb County also reported feeling the impact, the USGS said.
A 3.6 magnitude earthquake ranks as a "light" earthquake on the USGS intensity scale, which means residents in the area may have felt a "light" shaking. According to the USGS, an earthquake with "light" perceived shaking is not expected to create damage. "Light" ranks as level three on the nine-level USGS scale.
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A report from the Associated Press said administrative Lt. Doug Bernabei with the Peru Police Department, located several miles north of Standard, said he was up making coffee when his house shook. Suspecting it might be a quake, he turned on his police radio and heard numerous calls coming into 911 dispatch from residents.
“We received voluminous amounts of 911 calls. It was literally one call after another,” he said. “It shook my house. It wasn’t a rattle, I thought something hit the house. A lot of people were waking up.”
How common are earthquakes in Illinois?
U.S. & World
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security says Illinois is "at risk from two major seismic zones," which include the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
"The Wabash Valley Zone is located between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana," the office said. "The NMSZ is located in the Central Mississippi Valley and includes portions of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. During any 50-year time span, there is a 25% to 40% chance of a magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquake in this seismic zone."
While southern Illinois often sees earthquakes, northern Illinois doesn't get many, NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. A USGS map of the recent earthquakes in Illinois show a large number of earthquakes concentrated in central and southern Illinois, with some scattered across northern Illinois.
One of the largest earthquakes in Illinois according to the map was in May of 1909, when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake registered the Chicago suburb of Lockport.
