An Odd Earthquake Just Felt in this Southern Illinois Field

I'm gonna guess that someone on a tractor in southern Illinois got a surprise Thursday as an odd earthquake was reportedly felt in a farm field near the bottom tip of the state.

I was on the USGS site doing research for something completely different when I noticed an earthquake notice in the southern part of Illinois. Unlike most New Madrid quakes which are centered in the bootheel of Missouri, this one was in a remote farm field just to the northeast of Ullin, Illinois. The USGS says it was only a magnitude 2.0 quake, but it was reportedly felt around 10:40am Thursday, October 31.

According to Google Maps Street View, that would place the quake in this Illinois farm field or near it.

That places the epicenter of this admittedly mild Illinois quake right between the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the infamous New Madrid Seismic Zone. So which fault do we credit for this tiny shake? Take your pick. I'm guessing this would be a minor cough from the New Madrid Fault, but last time I checked I wasn't a seismologist.

It's just another event in southern Illinois and Missouri where you never know exactly what the Earth beneath you will do. Prepare for the unexpected.