An Earthquake Hits Alexandria, Minnesota

Really! Many people aren't aware that Minnesota even has earthquakes but as of 1860, a total of 19 have been recorded, none of any great strength.  Today, April 29th, a small earthquake shook the town of Alexandria, Minnesota, adding to the record.

While today's earthquake was very low on the richter scale, a 2.5, it's a rare occurrence which deserves note. The last noted earthquake happened in 1994 near Granite Falls, Minnesota.

There was no reported damage, although some people did report feeling their house shake, and some heard a loud noise resembling thunder.

The earthquakes in Minnesota are believed to be caused by stress on ancient fault lines. It is believed that there is very little potential for anything higher than a 5.5 on the richter scale, and that would only be likely every 266-years. To put that into perspective, the richter scale goes up to 10, so this would be considered a moderate earthquake that would be expected to cause damage to poorly built structures, over a small area. The recent earthquake in Japan was an 8.9.