Mild earthquake hits southern Indiana, no damage

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- The strongest earthquake in about 10 years shook parts of southwest Indiana and western Kentucky early Thursday but local officials reported no damage or injuries.

The earthquake occurred about 8 a.m. CST, lasted about five seconds, and registered 3.9 on the open-ended Richter Scale, officials said. It was located about seven miles west of Evansville, a southern Indiana city of 126,000 on the Ohio River near the Illinois border.

Earthquakes occur about once a year in southern Indiana, but Thursday's was stronger than most.

"We haven't had one this big for probably 10 years," said Gary Pavlis, professor of geological science at Indiana University.

The Emergency Management Agency in Evansville said several natural gas leaks were reported in area buildings but no fires were reported.

A 3.9 earthquake has the potential to break windows and crack plaster but should not cause structural damage, said Paul Bodin, associate professor at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis.

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