The April 18, 2008 earthquake

M5.2near Bellmont, Illinois

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake 8.9 miles deep, centred in Wabash County. The 2nd strongest in Illinois’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 5.2 on June 10, 1987. 12 aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or more followed within 30 days.

Watch the sequence unfold

Magnitude 5.2 · April 18, 2008

How the ground moved

Every recorded earthquake in the sequence, in order, through the month after.

About this replay

Local time (CDT)—Historical replay — logged times

Main shock—

Aftershocks—of 12 in 30 days

Largest so far—

Sequence milestones

EarthquakesSized by magnitude; each flares as it strikes, then fades

Main shockMagnitude 5.2 at 8.9 miles deep

Shaking frontsThe faster and slower seismic waves, drawn at typical speeds of 6 and 3.5 km per second, not measured ones

Sequence areaEarthquakes within 20 miles are counted, the length of fault a magnitude 5.2 typically breaks

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ComCat catalogue, every event it holds within 20 miles of the epicentre from seven days before to 30 days after. Times as logged, shown in local time (CDT); the clock runs faster as the sequence slows. Towns are today’s Census places.

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.2; moment magnitude (mw)
Depth: 8.9 mi; 14.2 km below the surface
Local time: Friday, April 18, 2008; 04:36 CDT; 09:36 UTC
Epicentre: 38.45°N, 87.89°W; In Wabash County
In Illinois’s record: 2nd; strongest of 149 since 1900
Within 50 miles: 30; counties; more on this date

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event nm606657 (“7 km NNE of Bellmont, Illinois”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.

Aftershocks

Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 20 miles of the epicentre in the 30 days after.

Aftershocks in 30 days

4.7

Largest aftershock, Apr 18, 2008

On the first day

In the 7 days before

The search radius is the surface rupture length expected for an earthquake of this magnitude (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994), at least 20 and at most 600 miles, so a great earthquake's sequence is counted along its whole fault.

Counties and cities within 50 miles

Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.

Counties

Wabash CountyIL · inside
Edwards CountyIL · 3.1 mi
Knox CountyIN · 7.0 mi
Gibson CountyIN · 8.0 mi
Richland CountyIL · 8.3 mi
Lawrence CountyIL · 8.3 mi
White CountyIL · 14.4 mi
Posey CountyIN · 16.1 mi
Wayne CountyIL · 17.4 mi
Clay CountyIL · 22.2 mi
Vanderburgh CountyIN · 22.3 mi
Pike CountyIN · 22.9 mi
Jasper CountyIL · 27.7 mi
Crawford CountyIL · 27.7 mi
Warrick CountyIN · 28.6 mi
Hamilton CountyIL · 29.5 mi
Daviess CountyIN · 35.4 mi
Henderson CountyKY · 36.3 mi
Sullivan CountyIN · 36.8 mi
Union CountyKY · 38.1 mi
Gallatin CountyIL · 39.4 mi
Effingham CountyIL · 40.8 mi
Marion CountyIL · 44.0 mi
Jefferson CountyIL · 44.0 mi
Dubois CountyIN · 44.2 mi
Saline CountyIL · 46.0 mi
Greene CountyIN · 47.0 mi
Spencer CountyIN · 48.3 mi
Daviess CountyKY · 49.7 mi
Franklin CountyIL · 49.8 mi

Cities, largest first

EvansvilleIN · 37.3 mi
HendersonKY · 45.5 mi
VincennesIN · 25.6 mi
WashingtonIN · 41.7 mi

Earthquakes around the epicentre

26 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.

Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first

November 9, 1968M5.3
June 10, 1987M5.2

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.