3.4 earthquake strikes in DeKalb County

Residents in a DeKalb County, Ill. village got an early wakeup call this morning when a 3.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area. The quake struck about two kilometers northwest of Somonauk, Ill at about 2:53 a.m. There have been no reports of damages, but parts of the western suburbs of Chicago felt the quake.

According to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois is at risk for quakes from two major seismic zones, the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). The Wabash Zone is between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana. The NMSZ is in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. During any 50-year time span, there’s a 25-40% chance of a magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquake in the zone.

The largest earthquake in the state in recent history was a 5.4 magnitude quake in Mt. Carmel on April 18, 2008.

Click here for information on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.

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