Small earthquake shakes northern Illinois

GILBERTS, Ill. - A small earthquake woke residents and shook furniture in northern Illinois early yesterday, causing no major damage or injuries but startling people as far away as Michigan and Iowa.

The epicenter of the 3.8-magnitude tremor was near the villages of Gilberts and Pingree Grove in Kane County, about 45 miles northwest of Chicago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake hit at 4 a.m.

"It's rare in northern Illinois," USGS geophysicist Amy Vaughan said. "It's downstate where . . . the larger ones have happened historically."

Residents in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan reported feeling the quake, she said.

In Pingree Grove, artist Dan Erman, 43, said the temblor moved his bed and woke him. "It was pretty loud," he said. "The bed headboard was hitting the back of the wall." Erman said he heard dogs barking and he saw neighbors turning on their lights. His home was not damaged. - AP