On May 2, at 12:23 p.m., a 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook Michigan and surrounding states.

The epicenter was located about five miles south of the city of Galesburg, Mich.

This was the first earthquake to be centered in Michigan since Sept. 2, 1994, which had an epicenter southwest of Lansing and a magnitude of 3.5.

The earthquakes that have shook Michigan have all been under a magnitude of 5.0. These minor earthquakes do not cause much damage to the infrastructure of buildings.

Earthquakes usually start causing damage at a 5.0 magnitude, and the damage caused gets progressively worse as the magnitude gets larger.

Michigan is not located on any tectonic-plate-boundaries and thus, any earthquakes located here are intraplate earthquakes. These earthquakes are rare, but could cause damage.

Intraplate earthquakes occur when the pressure on a tectonic plate builds up and is released through cracks, also known as fault zones.

Professor Larry Ruff is an expert in seismology and earth/environmental sciences at the University of Michigan.

He said that even though the faults in Michigan are largely inactive, earthquakes are still a concern.

“These faults were active many millions of years ago, but they are now healed,” Ruff said., “Except, every now and then, a small portion of one of the faults may slip in a rare earthquake.”

Many Michigan citizens do not believe earthquakes can occur here. But it is clear they can and do.

Earthquakes can occur anywhere, regardless of whether there is a fault line or an edge of a tectonic plate. Earthquakes can destroy homes, cities, and even countries, which was what happened in Japan’s earthquake of 2011.

Earthquakes of a 4.2 magnitude are capable of causing minor damages, like knocking things from shelves, cracking walls or windows, or damaging brickwork or chimneys on older buildings.

As for injuries, none were reported.

Many people say they felt the tremors of the earthquake.

Freshman Alex Weidenhammer was one of them.

“I didn’t know what it was at first,” Weidenhammer said. “It was kind of scary knowing that it was an earthquake.”

Junior Hunter Dalrymple said he was sitting in his car when he felt the car shake, and the quake woke sophomore Jacob Gunther.

“I was very confused as to why my bed was moving,” Gunther said.

Junior Carryn White felt the earthquake rattle her home.

“I was getting ready to go to a wedding when the picture frames on the walls started shaking,” White said.

On the other hand, some students were shocked at the fact that there even was an earthquake here.

Junior Gracen Nelson could hardly believe it.

“I was surprised to hear that there was an earthquake in Michigan,” Nelson said. “Normally there aren’t any here.”