Earthquake hits Alabama

Published 12:00 am Saturday, May 17, 2008

COFFEEVILLE (AP) &8212; A small earthquake was reported Friday in rural Clarke County in southwest Alabama, but the shaking apparently caused little damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a 3.1-magnitude earthquake occurred about 1:40 p.m. Friday in Clarke County in the vicinity of rural Coffeeville, about 75 miles north of Mobile.

“I didn’t feel anything,” said Coffeeville Police Chief Clint Harrell. “I’ve gotten reports that some people thought it was a sonic boom, but it lasted longer than a minute.”

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He said there were reports of furniture being knocked over but no reports of any significant damage.

The Alabama quake comes less than a month after an earthquake shook a large area in the Midwest at 4:37 a.m. CT, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Seismologists say the epicenter of this magnitude 5.2 temblor was in southern Illinois, about 66 miles from Evansville, Ind.

“It shook our house where it woke me up,” David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign, tells the Associated Press. “Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It’s not like California.”

Tremors were felt hundreds of miles away. We found reports from people who felt the quake in Kansas City, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Madison, Wis., Des Moines and near Atlanta.

As in Friday&8217;s earthquake, no serious injuries were reported in the April 18 incident.