SHAKE AWAKE!

Uh...yeah, we sure felt that. Freaky...woke me out of a
dead sleep. I thought a train was going by in the street!

Moderate Midwest Earthquake Rattles Indiana

Quake Felt From Iowa To Georgia

POSTED: 6:17 am EDT April 18, 2008

UPDATED: 9:38 am EDT April 18, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -- A moderate earthquake rattled much of the Midwest early Friday morning, shaking all of Indiana and beyond.The U.S. Geologic Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Buildings in downtown Indianapolis shook for about 15 seconds as the temblor rumbled at about 5:37 a.m.The USGS Web site said the quake was centered near West Salem, Ill., or about 40 miles north of Evansville, Ind. No injuries were reported.It was centered along the Wabash Valley Fault Zone, which is north of the well-known New Madrid fault area.There were reports of minor structural damage in buildings in Terre Haute and Evansville. The quake also appeared to have damaged a building in Louisville, Ky.The Indiana Department of Transportation has crews examining roadways and bridges in much of Indiana.Marvin Jenkins, of INDOT's Seymour post, said crews had not found any damage as of 8:30 a.m. and no calls of road damaged had been received.The earthquake was felt far and wide, including in the Chicago area, parts of Wisconsin and Iowa."This is one of the larger earthquakes that you've had in a while in the region," said Randy Baldwin of the USGS.

WHAS-TV A building was damaged in the Louisville, Ky. area.

Air traffic was grounded for about an hour at Indianapolis International Airport as the tower was evacuated. All of the runways were checked and were cleared for usage.Surveillance video from inside a Walgreen's on 16th and Meridian streets, just north of downtown Indianapolis, showed the shaking.At Vincennes University, about 30 miles east of the epicenter, all five dormitories were evacuated as a precaution, sending nearly 1,500 students to an intramural field for an hour, university spokesman Duane Chattin. The earthquake triggered the fire alarm in one residence hall, Chattin said. There was no damage or injuries reported on the campus, Chattin said.Numerous phone calls poured into 6News from viewers to report feeling the earthquake. A moderate earthquake is capable of causing structural damage, but that damage is generally minor."The things on my curio were rattling and the water in the fish bowl was splashing," said Kelly Bolte, a waitress in Seymour, about 60 miles south of Indianapolis. "It felt like the dog was running through the house."Scott Wilkerson, associate professor of geosciences at DePauw University in Greencastle, about 40 miles south Indianapolis, said he felt two episodes of shaking. He said that may represent two different seismic waves.He said there likely will be some small aftershocks, most of which people will not feel.Earthquakes occur irregularly in the area, according to the USGS. The largest historical earthquake in the region -- a magnitude 5.5 -- caused damage in southern Illinois in 1968.