Midwest Earthquakes Relatviely Commons

At 4:36 a.m., Friday April 18, an earthquake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale, shook the Midwestern United States. Throughout my day, I have seen the direct effects of the earthquake. When I woke up this morning, I learned about it, and, as many people were, was shocked by the new. The earthquake caused many people to wake up and most of them didn't know what was going on. There have been some aftershocks as well the largest being at 10:14 a.m. and measuring at 4.6. So far no injuries have been reported and there are very few reports of damage. The Midwest is not usually thought of as an area that is affected by earthquakes but it is actually one of the more common areas in the United States for them to strike.

Throughout the day there have been discussions about this morning's events at Naperville Central High School. Both students and teachers have been talking about it, many people didn't believe it was true at first, but after several people confirmed the earthquakes existence they were convinced. Some people felt the earthquake and thought it was someone shaking them; they didn't realize the earthquake was actually responsible.

The earthquake was large enough to wake some people, but others slept through it. Many people didn't realize it had been an earthquake until hearing about it this morning. People thought there must have been another cause for the shaking. Those people who were awake at the time of the quake noticed it and there have been reports of desks shaking and other signs of the event.

Though California and the west coast are usually the places in the United States that are associated with earthquakes they are also relatively common in the Midwest. The Wabash Valley is believed to be the source of this morning's earthquake. This valley has caused many large earthquakes in the past including two of the three largest ever recorded in the lower 48 states.

The effect of the earthquake was not a long lasting one for most people. The day at Naperville Central High School has gone on the same. The only difference has been that people are talking about the earthquake, but there hasn't been any damage noticed at the school and it appears that there is no fear present among the students or faculty.

This occurrence is not all that rare, there are small earthquakes in the Midwest somewhat often and they don't cause any fear or much damage. The earthquakes in the Midwest just cause more conversations.

A very large earthquake hasn't been reported in the Midwest since 1812 so people here are not concerned. If another large quake similar to the one in 1812 or 1811 was to strike the Midwest, then there might be more concerned people. If an earthquake caused much damage or injury, more safety procedures would probably be put in place to protect the people. There would possibly be earthquake drills in the schools similar to those in California.

There will be future earthquakes in the Midwest and people will continue to be shocked that there is an earthquake in the Midwest. While it is not likely that there will be sudden increase earthquakes that are more powerful, it would still be a good idea for people in the Midwest to learn a few safety procedures. Some safety procedures can be found here. Mostly, Midwesterners need to be aware that earthquakes can strike there. Just being able to know what is going on when a quake strikes can help people living in the Midwest be much safer when the next one happens.

Future quakes are not preventable, but if people can quickly determine that it is an earthquake and respond to the situation they are in, they will be able to protect themselves from injury. There is no cause for panic since the majority of earthquakes in the Midwest are not very dangerous, but it is important to be prepared for the future when a big quake could strike.