Strange Moderate Earthquake Just Felt in Illinois SE of St. Louis

There's been yet another earthquake in Illinois in 2024 and it's happened in a brand new place. The quake confirmed by the USGS was located to the southeast of the St. Louis, Missouri area near Pinckneyville, Illinois.

The USGS says this odd Illinois quake happened at 10:34am Central Time and was centered 6 kilometers east of Pinckneyville, Illinois. This was reportedly felt by many in the southern part of Illinois and while it wasn't anything near a major quake. The magnitude 3.0 shaker was larger than that part of Illinois is used to.

That part of Illinois in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone is accustomed to 2.0 magnitude quakes. A 3.0 is significantly greater as each .1 represents an increase in strength of 10 times.

In case you aren't aware, many USGS scientists believe the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone in Illinois is capable of a greater than 7 magnitude quake someday and might even rival the infamous New Madrid Fault in Missouri.

We'll see if this moderate 3.0 quake near Pinckneyville, Illinois this morning is an isolated quake or a forerunner to something bigger. Let's hope it's that first option.

UPDATE: 12:23pm - The USGS has now reclassified the quake in Illinois this morning as a 2.5 magnitude shaker. Strange to see such a big downgrade by the USGS.