Shallow 4.1 magnitude earthquake rattles East Texas

January 25, 2013 – TEXAS – The U.S. Geology Survey confirms a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit East Texas around 1:01 a.m. The earthquake struck at a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles). Friday morning with an epicenter 2 miles from Timpson, Texas. KSLA News 12 phone lines started ringing after numerous people felt the ‘quake from Shelby County all the way to Bossier City. It woke me up out of a dead sleep,” said Amanda Jones who lives on Highway 7 E between Center and Joaquin. Jones tells us it felt stronger than the last earthquake that hit East Texas last summer. Jones says she is unsure about damage but will wait until the sun comes up to check. Jamie Ward in Center, TX tells us her house shook for at least 20 seconds. A man from Carthage, TX who was working the night shift at a gas plant says “it felt like it was coming from the bottom of my feet up.” He described what he felt “like the wind was shaking the travel trailer.” He tells us he looked for damage but didn’t see any. A woman who lives on W. 70th in Shreveport tells us she was laying in bed when “stuff started shaking.” Bossier City resident Sarah Rains, who lives off of Sligo Rd., says she and her roommate felt their trailer shake and thought it might have just been heavy winds. Katy Cash of Keatchie says she felt her house shake but thought she was just imagining it when her chandelier over the dining table started swaying. Katy tells us her mom in Florien, Louisiana also felt it. –KSLA 

Quake shakes N. Italy: A moderately-strong earthquake has rattled much of north-central Italy, including Milan skyscrapers, but authorities say first reports indicate there are no injuries or major damage. Italy’s National Institute of Geology said the temblor had a magnitude of 5.0 and struck shortly before 4 p.m. Friday. Institute official Alberto Michelini told Sky TG24 TV the quake’s epicenter was 30 kilometers (13 miles) north of Viareggio, a Tuscan sea resort, and that the temblor was most strongly felt in the regions of Tuscany and Emiilia Romagna. People in Milan skyscrapers and others in the Tuscan capital of Florence and in Bologna reporting feeling the quake. Italy is quite earthquake-prone. Over 300 people were killed in 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila in central Italy. –ABC