What You Need To Know About Earthquakes In Illinois

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake just a few days ago sent me down a rabbit hole, and I emerged more confused than informed.

Earthquakes in Illinois? You Don't Say?

While reading about this earthquake, which produced some decent tremors for people in east-central Illinois, I found out that part of Illinois is included in a hot spot for earthquakes. Now, I am aware that there are daily quakes on Earth. Some are quite big, and some not so big, and they also happen in Illinois. Typically, there isn't much to report other than maybe a bit of ground shake, and that's really it.

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A Startling Earthquake Discovery

Then I went to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security and found this nugget: Illinois is at risk from two major seismic zones, the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). Both of those zones include portions of the Land of Lincoln.

New Madrid Seismic Zone via USGS

While interesting, this was the thing that blew my mind:

Did you know that the most powerful earthquakes ever to occur in the continental United States took place in the NMSZ during the winter of 1811-1812? At that time, the area of the seismic zone was scarcely populated. Experts estimate that a similar series of earthquakes today would devastate the region, with projected damages of $60 to $80 billion.

Canva

Did the Most Powerful Earthquake Ever Occur in Illinois?

Say what? Immediately skeptical, I Googled and found this instead: the five largest earthquakes in the US all occurred in Alaska, with no mention of Illinois. Could it be because those major earthquakes took place six years before Illinois became a state, or are we missing something?

Have you ever felt the ground shake in Illinois? Do you think we're overdue for something bigger, or is this just disaster paranoia?

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