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Michigan Earthquake Felt Throughout Chicago Area

(STMW) -- A light earthquake that hit southwestern Michigan Saturday morning could be felt as far away as Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.

The 4.2-magnitude earthquake happened about 11:23 a.m. central time approximately 9 miles southeast of Kalamazoo, Mich., according to John Bellini, a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center.

People reported feeling the quake throughout lower Michigan, northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio and along the shore of Lake Michigan in Illinois and Wisconsin, Bellini said. It was also felt in parts of western Ontario.

The USGS received reports from people who felt it in Chicago and several surrounding suburbs including Evanston, Carol Stream, Romeoville, Joliet, Carpentersville, McHenry and Dundee, according to the USGS website.

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake is considered a light quake capable of causing minor damage, such as items falling off of shelves, cracks in plaster, walls and windows or slight damage to brickwork, Bellini said. Damage is most likely to occur near the epicenter of the earthquake.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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