A mild earthquake shook northern Illinois this morning.
The
U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.3 magnitude quake about 4 a.m. centered about 5½ miles east of Sycamore.
The epicenter is about 45 miles west of
Chicago.
The quake was felt over a wide area, but there were no reports of any damage.
Reports of tremors came in from Villa Park, Western Springs, Minooka, Batavia, Naperville,
Elgin, Oak Lawn and
Des Plaines. In
Chicago, reports came from the
Northwest Side and
Logan Square.
"The whole house shook," said Walter Mockus of St. Charles. "The chimes that hang were all ringing. It was so loud, I thought a plane had gone down."
"It was 4:02 a.m. and I was in bed and felt the whole house shaking," said Bob Bulmash of Warrenville. "But nothing fell down. It lasted about 3 to 5 seconds."
In Naperville, Julie Hannon said the quake shook her out of a sound sleep.
"When you feel an earthquake, it makes you wake up right away," said Hannon, who said she had experienced several quakes when she lived in Japan. "You could feel a shaking and you could hear a rumbling."
The quake lasted a few seconds, she said. Nothing fell or broke in her home.
"It's humbling, especially when you think about all the people who have been harmed by earthquakes," Hannon added.
"I heard the plates I didn't wash from dinner rattle," said Alice Fabbre of
Joliet. "The house shook, but it was very short. At first, I thought it was a snow plow going by."
"It shook me out bed. I was was sleeping and the whole bed was shaking, it was that violent," said Rex Covington, who lives in Plato Center Township, about five miles west of
Elgin. He estimated the tremor lasted 5 or 6 seconds.
"When I called 911, she said they felt the shock too and said their whole building in Geneva shook."
In Oak Lawn, Ron Cerevic, who lives on the second floor of an apartment building, said it felt "like someone hit the side of the building."
