4.2 magnitude earthquake hits Michigan, felt widely in particular regions, no injuries reported- USGS

US geological survey (USGS) reveals that a magnitude of 4.2 earthquake struck Michigan Saturday shortly after noon but no injuries or damages has been reported yet. The quake has hit at 12:23 p.m. local time near Galesburg, about 9 miles southeast of Kalamazoo. Saturday’s earthquake was the second strongest in Michigan’s history, according to the National Weather Service. The most severe had been of magnitude 4.6 back in 1947.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder noted in a statement that earthquakes are rare in the state. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage because of today’s earthquake, and that’s “fortunate because we are acutely aware of the challenges posed by such natural disasters in other parts of the world recently,” added Snyder.

John Bellini, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., said could be felt widely across lower portions of the state and into northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, eastern Illinois, southeastern Wisconsin, and western Ontario.

He said earthquakes of this magnitude are capable of causing minor damages, such as knocking items from shelves, cracking plaster or windows, or damaging brickwork or chimneys on older buildings. Earthquakes tend to cause major damage beginning at a magnitude of 5.

Bellini said that Michigan does not have a lot of active faults and is not near any plate boundaries. He said most of the earthquakes that happen east of the Rockies are on faults that are poorly studied, very small and underground.

On social media, Michigan residents reported feeling the earth shake in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor and Troy.

Comments on Twitter included: “felt the earth shake in Livonia. Don’t need to experience that ever again,” “felt the building shake at metro airport” and “Kalamazoo shook hard!”

David Fletcher, who lives in Lawton, about 30 miles from Galesburg, said he was in his kitchen when he felt the ground shake.

Residents reported that they felt it last for a few seconds. Some say their house shook; others said it startled their pets.

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Tasnuva Rahim

I have been writing ever since I can remember, but that is because school made me do so against my will. Today here I am, standing strong because my mentors could see my flair which had undoubtedly mirrored in my school papers and the essays that never failed to amaze them. The strength of my words, the power of my insight and creativity is something I cherish very closely and I hope that someday it will be worth more than it is now. It is their encouragement and the faith that I had in myself taken me so many places, brought in so many surprises that I am grateful for them each and every day. I have worked for Dhaka tribune, written travel blogs collected from the time when I was working for an inbound travel agency. I have covered stories on cultures and norms of our country for a local lifestyle magazine Ice Today magazine. As of now I’m working as a freelance content writer and loving every moment of it.