Earthquake in Madison County this morning

A 2.8 magnitude earthquake shook up Madison County early this morning.

The quake, recorded at 2:53 a.m., did not cause any damage. Residents reported light shaking near the Nissan Plant, Gluckstadt and as far east as Goshen Springs, according to WLBT. The epicenter was roughly 6.5 miles from the city of Madison.

Fault line runs through Mississippi, as they do in most states east of the Mississippi. And, although earthquakes are relatively rare east of the Rocky Mountains, they do happen. The last earthquake in Madison County was four years ago. The same fault line caused a 3.7 magnitude earthquake earlier this year in Washington County.

Earthquake magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. A 2.7 quake is among the least destructive, defined as “not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions,” by the United State Geological Survey. At 3.7, the USGS states the quake would be “felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings.”

In contrast, the 7.1 quake that hit southern California July 6, can cause “considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse,” according to the USGS. “Damage great in poorly built structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned.”

For buildings specifically designed to withstand earthquakes, even a big California rumbler at 7.1 may result in only slight damage.