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Earthquakes That Have Been Felt in Milwaukee

Date Time (CST) Location Latitude (North) Longitude (West) Magnitude
04/24/1867 14:22 Eastern Kansas 39 96.35.1
10/20/1870 10:25 Canada, Montreal to Quebec 47.4 70.5 6.0?
8/31/1886 20:51 Charleston, South Carolina 32.9 80.06.7
10/31/1895 5:08 Southeastern Missouri 37.0 89.4 5.9
5/26/1909 8:42 Northern Illinois 41.6 88.1 5.1
2/28/1925 20:19 Southeastern Quebec 47.6 70.1 7.0
3/2/1937 8:48 West-Central Ohio 40.5 84.3 5.0
3/8/1937 23:45 West-Central Ohio 40.5 84.3 5.4
9/4/1944 22:39 Canada-Western New York 45.0 74.7 5.8
5/6/1947 15:25 Milwaukee, WI 43.0 87.9 4.0
8/9/1947 20:47 South-Central Michigan 41.9 85.0 4.6
11/09/1968 11:02 Southern Illinois 37.9 88.4 5.5
9/15/1972 23:22 Northern Illinois 41.6 89.4 4.5
7/27/1980 12:52 Northeastern Kentucky 38.2 83.9 5.1
1/31/1986 10:47 Northeastern Ohio 41.7 81.2 5.0
6/10/1987 17:49 Southeastern Illinois 38.7 88.0 5.0
11/25/1988 17:46 Southeastern Quebec 48.1 71.2 6.0
9/25/1998 13.54 Pennsylvania-Ohio Border 41.5 80.5 5.2
6/18/2002 12.37 Evansville, Indiana 38.1 87.7 5.0
6/28/2004 13:10 Northern Illinois 41.4 89.1 4.2
4/18/08 09:37:00 Southern Illinois 38.45 87.89 5.2

All of these earthquakes have been felt in Milwaukee either as reported in the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Sentinel newspapers, or, for the more recent quakes, as reported to me in telephone and email contacts. There is only one earthquake, on this list, that actually occurred in the Milwaukee area. That was the earthquake of May 6, 1947. There are a number of other earthquakes that probably were felt in Milwaukee but I have not been able to find recorded histories for some of the early events, most notably, the series of very large New Madrid earthquakes that occurred in the winter of 1811 - 1812. In recent times, there has been some local, Milwaukee, events that were initially considered to be small earthquakes but, in retrospect, are now considered to be sonic booms or other man-made vibrations.