Another Earthquake Strikes Southern Illinois Along Wabash Valley Fault Line

Mount Carmel, IL (AHN) - A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Illinois early Monday morning, the latest in a string of 18 earthquakes in the region since a 5.2 magnitude quake struck Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of damage. It was the strongest quake since Friday. None of the previous 16 aftershocks since the initial quake on Friday was above 3.9 magnitude.

The quake struck at 12:38 a.m. CT about 131 miles east of St. Louis and 37 miles north-northwest of Evansville, Indiana. It was centered five miles northwest of Mount Carmel and about 11 miles southeast of West Salem, according to reports.

Friday's earthquake occurred in West Salem and there were reports of minor damage.

The earthquake on Friday was the first in the region in 40 years. The initial quake was felt as far north as Chicago and west in St. Louis. These earthquakes are on what is known as the Wabash Valley fault.

"The largest historical earthquake in the region -- magnitude 5.4 -- damaged southern Illinois in 1968," the USGS told CNN news.

That 1968 quake, however, was on a different fault line. It was on the New Madrid fault line that extends north to Chicago and south to Memphis. The 1811 and 1812 earthquakes on that fault line were among the largest in the nation. The 1811 quake rang church bells 1,000 miles away in Boston, Massachusetts. The 1812 quake caused a change in the course of the Mississippi River and damage was reported as far away as Charleston, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.