5.2 earthquake rocks large region of midwest, waking surprised residents

occupant across the Middle West were awakened Friday by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Windy City and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or harm.

The quake just earlier 4:37 a.m. (0937 GMT) was centered 6 miles (10 kilometers) from West Salem, Prairie State, and 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Evansville, Indiana. It was felt in such distant cities as Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Des Moines, Iowa; and capital of Georgia, Georgia, about 400 miles (645 kilometers) to the sou'-east.

In Mount Carmel, Illinois, 15 miles (25 kilometers) southeast of the epicentre, a woman was trapped in her home by a collapsed porch but was rapidly freed and wasn't hurt, said Mickie Smith, a starter at the police force department. The section took numerous other calls, although none reported anything more serious than physical object knocked off walls and out of shelves, she said.

Also in Mount Carmel, a two-story apartment edifice was evacuated because of loose and falling bricks. Police force cordoned off the edifice, a 1904 school converted to residences.

Bonnie Lucas, a morn co-host at WHO-AM in Des Moines, Iowa said she was posing in her business office when she felt her chair move. She grabbed her desk, and then heard the ceiling panels start to creak. The shaking lasted about 5 sec, she said.

The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash River fault, a northern extension of the New capital of Spain fault about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of Mount Carmel, Illinois, said United States Geological Survey geophysicist Randy James Baldwin.

The last quake in the part to attack the badness of Fri's earthquake was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002, James Baldwin said.

"This is a reasonably large quake for this part," he said. "They might occur every few years."

ab initio reported as a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, the USGS revised its estimation to 5.2.

"This was widely felt, all the way to Atlanta, a little bit in Michigan," said USGS geophysicist Carrieann Bedwell.

In Louisville, Kentucky, the quake caused some bricks to fall off a building near downtown. Television video showed them strewn in the street. It also shook skyscrapers in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of the epicenter.

In Chicago, officials were checking structures downtown to ensure there was no damage.

The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968, when a 5.3-magnitude temblor was recorded about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, according the USGS. The damage was minor but widespread and there were no serious injuries.

In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault produced a series of earthquakes estimated at magnitude 7.0 or greater said to be felt as far away as Boston. They were centered in the Missouri town of New Madrid, 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis.

Experts say that with the much higher population in the Midwest, another major quake along the New Madrid fault zone could destroy buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, disrupt communications and isolate areas.