Some in central and southern Illinois and into St. Louis may have felt the ground shake overnight and early Tuesday morning as a 3.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded near Ohlman, the United States Geological Survey showed.
The USGS showed the quake was felt across parts of Springfield and Taylorville, along with parts of Missouri including St. Louis. Some light shaking may have also been felt in Chatham and Decatur, and as far west as Champaign.
An earthquake with a 3.8 magnitude is often felt but may not cause damage. An earthquake of 7.0 is described as a “major earthquake” with serious damage, according to Michigan Tech.
The quake occurred in the Ozark Dome Region, the USGS said, which covers parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. It stretches from Indianapolis and St. Louis to Memphis.
“Moderately frequent earthquakes occur at irregular intervals throughout the region,” the USGS said. “The largest historical earthquake in the region (magnitude 5.4) damaged southern Illinois in 1968.”
According to the USGS, the area borders a “much more seismically active New Madrid” seismic zone.
