3.6 Earthquake in Western Nebraska

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook the Sand Hills northwest of Hyannis, Neb., late Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But local authorities are not reporting any injuries or property damage.

The quake at 11:21 p.m. happened 18 miles northwest of Hyannis in neighboring Cherry County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Hyannis is in Grant County.

“I had people tell me it woke them up,” Grant County Sheriff Shawn Hebbert said. “It never woke me up. I never heard a thing.”

Officials in the Cherry County Sheriff’s Office could not be reached late Thursday morning.

Authorities in western Nebraska were dealing with high winds, with gusts up to 65 to 70 mph, causing at least minor damage, unlike the quake.

“These winds are ridiculous,” Hebbert said.

One of the most recently recorded earthquakes in Nebraska was a magnitude 3.5 near Auburn in 2009.

The most severe is thought to have occurred in 1877, estimated at magnitude 7 and causing damage from North Platte to Lincoln. It was felt in most of Nebraska and parts of Iowa, Kansas, the Dakotas and Missouri.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121018/NEWS/710189872/1685#sand-hills-residents-wake-to-quake