Small earthquake rocks Montezuma; USGS confirms tremor
Jun. 18—A small earthquake Thursday afternoon in rural Parke County registered 3.8 magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
"Yes, there has been a confirmed earthquake in our County," the Parke County Sheriff's Department reported on its Facebook Page. "There have been no reports of any injuries or any damage at this time. Please do not call 911 unless it is an emergency."
The USGS said the quake occurred at 3:18 p.m. at a depth of 3.1 kilometers, or about 1.9 miles.
Montezuma resident Jerri Penn said she was sitting in her living room with her grandson and dog when she felt the tremor.
"My butt started vibrating, and then the chair started shaking, and then the whole house," Penn told the Tribune-Star. "My grandson started laughing, and my dog went crazy. I knew what it was."
Penn said she experienced a quake in 1987 when she was a 21-year-old mother, so when she felt her house shaking today, she knew she was experiencing an earthquake.
"To me, this one was stronger," Penn said.
Soon after feeling the tremor, she said she called her daughter to tell her, and then checked a local Facebook page where Montezuma residents stay in touch with each other.
"Everybody was posting about it," Penn said of the earthquake.
Quakes that register 3.0 to 3.9 on the Richter scale are considered minor.
To see more information about the geologic event, go online to https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map
