Earthquake Shakes Indiana, Other States

INDIANAPOLIS -- An earthquake centered in southwestern Indiana shook parts of at least seven states Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo.

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USGS said a 5.0 magnitude quake around 12:37 p.m. was centered 10 miles northwest of Evansville, near the small town of Darmstadt.

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The quake shook buildings in downtown Evansville and was felt at least 250 miles away -- as far north as South Bend and as far south as Memphis, Tenn. It also was felt in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The only damage immediately reported was cracked chimneys and broken glass in the Evansville area, said Alden Taylor, spokesman for the Indiana state emergency management agency. Evansville police reported one minor injury in that city.

In Indianapolis, a woman (pictured, right) said the vibration cracked a wall in her home near the intersection of Fall Creek Parkway Drive and 34th Street.

Some Evansville companies evacuated their buildings, but life quickly returned to normal at the quake's center.

"Everybody seems to be back to cuttin' grass and doin' what they was doin'," said Johnny Ligtett, head of town maintenance in Darmstadt. "Everything seems pretty normal right now."

Maj. Tom Wallis of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department said authorities were checking bridges and other structures for damages.

Bill Smith, a geophysicist at the Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., said small earthquakes periodically occur in the Wabash Valley region, but typically are not significant enough to be felt.

"This is much larger than average for the region, but not unprecedented," Smith said of Tuesday's quake.

John Bellini of the U.S. Geological Survey said a 5.0 magnitude quake can cause light damage.

"An earthquake of this size can typically crack chimneys, knock things off the shelves, and may crack windows," Bellini said. "We wouldn't expect much more than that at the most."

The strongest earthquake to occur in the last 100 years in the Wabash Valley region happened on Nov. 9, 1968, in south-central Illinois. It had a magnitude of 5.4 and was felt in 23 states.