Minor Earthquake Shakes Southern Illinois

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake shook Southern Illinois on Friday evening.

The 7:41 p.m. quake had a depth of 16.1 miles and was located six miles north of Fairfield and 31 miles east-northeast of Mount Vernon, the United States Geological Survey reported.

Seismologists say say most earthquakes with a magnitude less than 3.0 on the Richter scale usually don't cause damage.

Illinois experiences earthquakes from time to time because of it's location near the New Madrid Seismic Zone, located southwest from New Madrid, Missouri. The strongest earthquake in the area was a magnitude 5.4 quake on November 9, 1968.

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