Rumble in western Minnesota was earthquake (2.5 on the Richter Scale)

Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) ^ | 4/29/11 | Paul Walsh - Staff Reporter

[MplsSteve]

A rare earthquake rippled in and around Alexandria in western Minnesota early Friday, prompting numerous middle-of-the-night calls to emergency dispatchers and acting as a seismic alarm clock for one royal wedding fan.

The temblor at 2:20 a.m. measured 2.5 in magnitude, falling into the "weak" category, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of damage or injury.

The quake probably "felt like a truck rumbling by or thunder," said USGS geophysicist John Bellini.

Bellini said the agency collected several dozen "felt reports" on its website from citizens in Alexandria and nearby communities such as Brandon, Carlos and Garfield.

While there is a margin of error in pinpointing any epicenter, the USGS put this one on the southwestern edge of Alexandria, near the town's airport.

"I felt it, oh, yeah," said Sandy Pederson, who lives on the north side of Alexandria and is an office staffer at KXRA Radio (1490 AM) in town.

"I happened to be in bed awake," Pederson said. "My first thought was that it was thunder. ... It shook the house."

[MplsSteve]

For those of you geographically interested, Alexandria is in western Minnesota, probably an hour from the South Dakota border. Most of Minnesota's few earthquakes do occur in this area.

Comments or opinions - anyone?

[MplsSteve]

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[Vigilanteman]

Just another ancient viking rhunestone pushing its way to the surface . . .

[Sawdring]

Huh? Never hear of an earthquake in Alexandria!!!

[GOP_Party_Animal]

Luckily, no tsunami from the flooded Red River here in Fargo.

[luvie]

Now, that’s funny!

....except for the flood part, that is.......

[onedoug]

5.1 km (3.2 miles) deep.

[NormsRevenge]

Cool. My old stomping ground.

from the local newspaper web site

Did you feel it? Earthquake rattles Alexandria this morning
http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/84314/

—

Earthquakes happened in region in 1975, 1993
http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/84320

Keith Brugger, a Professor of Geology at the University of Minnesota, Morris, said he hadn’t yet reviewed any information regarding Friday’s quake, but added that it probably was an event on the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone.

West Central Minnesota sits on a “suture,” or boundary, of the GLTZ. About 2.5 billion years ago, rocks of the Minnesota River Valley, which are 3.5 billion years old, collided with the slightly younger volcanic mass represented by granites and “greenstones,” Brugger said.

“That event happened so long ago and we’re still living with its legacy,” Brugger said.

The greenstones were volcanic island arcs — such as Japan and the Philippines — that previously collided and contributed to the formation of North America, Brugger stated.

[DollyCali]

5.1 km (3.2 miles) deep.

Doug, my QuakeFeed app on iPhone indicates it was 1225 km, which is one of the more shallow ones lately (but as another article recently posted here on FR indicated less than the frequent 5 +/- the past day or so)

[FarRightFanatic]

I’ve lived in Minnesota for more than a decade and this is the first I can recall an earthquake happening here. Very, very odd.

[tdscpa]

An earthquake measured 2.5 on the Richter scale, falling into the “weak” category...

Wow, have not experienced anything like that here in Kansas, but every year, I suffer winds of velocities that do way more damage than that earth-hiccup.

[Crazieman]

Like today? (If you live in south central)

[driftless2]

I live in western Wisconsin. About ten to fifteen years ago I felt a tremor while sitting on my sofa. A lamp on an end table shook a bit. The newspeople said the New Madrid fault was responsible.

[Dead Corpse]

Sorry. I fell out of bed... Didn’t mean to startle anyone.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks MplsSteve.

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[21twelve]

I guess I would go by the geologist’s explanation. Maybe. For being so shallow, it might be an effect due to “rebound”. The rocks are still rising after the weight from ice from the last ice age was removed. Most of the time it is gradual, but sometimes you can get a “pop” and a small E.G.

If that is the case, this earthquake was caused by global warming!

[Pusterfuss]

I have been to parties that have registered higher than 2.5.

[WOBBLY BOB]

Probably just Brock Lesnar’s training camp doing some sparring on his ranch.