The U.S. state of Illinois was rocked by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake early Friday morning, and there have been no reports of major casualties or significant damages.
The epicenter of the earthquake that took place around 4:37 a.m. (0937 GMT) was about three miles (4.83 kilometers) below ground, six miles (9.6 kilometers) northwest of Mount Carmel, Illinois, and 38 miles (60.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Evansville, Indiana, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake occurred in the Illinois basin-Ozark dome region covering parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas, stretching from Indianapolis and St. Louis to Memphis, the USGS said.
According to the USGS, the largest earthquake that happened in the region in 1968 was a magnitude 5.4.
Apart from southern Illinois, the earthquake also shook downtown Indianapolis, southern Michigan and as far west as Des Moines, Iowa, local media reported.
As of 9 a.m. ET (1300 GMT), nearly 10,000 people had reported their feeling of the earthquake to the USGS website.
Source:Xinhua
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