Science & Nature
Earthquake Reported on Chicago’s North Shore, USGS Says Magnitude 2.9
A map of Wednesday’s earthquake epicenter. (U.S. Geological Survey)
Residents from the North Side of Chicago to the north suburbs reported feeling the effects of what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a 2.9 magnitude earthquake Wednesday.
USGS pegged the tremor’s epicenter at 13 miles northeast of Evanston — or Lake Michigan — and a timing of 2:38 p.m.
Early “Did you feel it” reports were submitted to USGS from Highland Park, Evanston, Skokie, Glencoe, Wilmette and Chicago.
A 2.9 magnitude quake is considered weak, and while it can be felt by some people, rarely causes damage.
Though earthquakes in the central and eastern parts of the country are less frequent than those in the west, their effects are typically felt over a larger area, USGS said.
In July 2024, an earthquake struck 60 miles west of Chicago.
The largest quake to hit Illinois in the last 20 years was a 5.2 magnitude in 2008, centered near Mt. Carmel in the southern part of the state.
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