Magnitude 4.2 earthquake rattles North Central Indiana

12/30/2010

GREENTOWN, Ind. — A magnitude 4.2 earthquake has rattled portions of central Indiana, prompting a wave of calls to local authorities from rattled residents.

The U.S. Geological Survey says on its website that the quake occurred at 7:55 a.m. EST Thursday and was centered about five miles south of Greentown in Howard County. That's about 50 miles north-northeast of Indianapolis.

No damage was immediately reported.

Howard County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Steve Rogers says the department was bombarded by phone calls after the quake from people wondering what had happened. He says some people reported hearing a loud boom.

Indiana University geologist Michael Hamburger told Indianapolis television station WTHR the quake was felt across central Indiana and into western Ohio. He said the temblor occurred in an area "that's seismically very quiet."