Midwest quake felt far and wide - CNN.com

(CNN) -- People nearly 900 miles away felt a magnitude-5.2 earthquake that shook southern Illinois early Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of major damage after the predawn quake, which struck at 4:36 a.m. (5:36 a.m. ET).

However, some minor damage was seen in the region.

The epicenter of the earthquake -- the strongest in the region in 40 years -- was about seven miles below ground and 38 miles north-northwest of Evansville, Indiana, the USGS said.

People as far away as Niceville, Florida, 891 miles away, reported to the USGS Web site that they had felt the quake.

Reports also came in from such distant places as West Virginia, Alabama and Kansas.

People as far away as southwest Michigan and northeast Georgia e-mailed CNN to say they felt Friday's tremor.

The earthquake occurred in the Wabash Valley fault system, adjacent to the New Madrid Seismic Zone, Applegate said.

That zone, named for the town of New Madrid, Missouri, was the site of a series of huge tremors in 1811 and 1812.