Residents of Southern Illinois were stirred from their quiet Sunday night as a 3.2-magnitude earthquake hit the region, with the epicenter near the small town of Waltonville, officials from the United States Geological Survey confirmed.
The temblor, which struck just after 10 p.m., was felt across various parts of Southern Illinois, including as far north as Mount Vernon and as far south as Carbondale, the WSIL TV reported, deepening concern in a region familiar with seismic activity but without major recent incidents.
The USGS describes the quake as "light" and at a depth of nearly 5 miles, which suggests damage is unlikely, though the agency has noted that the Illinois-basin Ozark dome region is no stranger to the earth’s occasional tremors and in fact "Moderately frequent earthquakes occur at irregular intervals throughout the region," according to a statement obtained by NBC Chicago.
As of the latest reports, no injuries or structural damages have been reported; however, memories of the past, like the largest quake ever recorded in the region—a 5.4-magnitude shake-up in 1968—linger in the minds of locals.
Just last month, the community faced a slightly stronger shake with a 3.6-magnitude earthquake recorded near Standard, Illinois. That quake reverberated to Ottawa, reminding residents of the earth's unpredictable nature beneath their feet.
