Oklahoma Earthquake Felt in Parts of Illinois, Wisconsin

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 6, 2011 3:00PM

Image via United States Geological Survey.

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale rocked much of Oklahoma last night. The earthquake, according to United States Geological Survey geophysicist Jessica Sigala Turner, is the most powerful ever to rock the state.

The earthquake centered near the town of Sparks, 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, and had players and fans at an Oklahoma State University football game fearing the worst.

“That shook up the place, had a lot of people nervous,” Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon said of the late Saturday quake, the strongest of a series of quakes. “Yeah, it was pretty strong.”

Chimneys collapsed during the quake and even buckled a highway, injuring one.

560 people reported feeling the earthquake in Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park, Plainfield, Joliet and Downers Grove. Residents of Milwaukee and Madison also reported feeling the quake. The quake was the most powerful of a series of tremors to hit Oklahoma yesterday.