Random Indiana Earthquake

So I woke up this morning to go for a run and at 5:37am, I felt a huge gust of wind shaking the house - like a washing machine off-kilter gone crazy! I thought the house was done for. This lasted for only about 5 seconds, but I could still feel a less significant shaking for about 10-15 seconds. My running buddy (who's from the West coast) called me and asked - "Did you just feel that? That was an earthquake!" I was completely shocked! An earthquake? In Indiana? But it's true. Evidently, we're on a fault line. The USGS Earthquake Hazards website keeps a record of the earthquakes recently reported in this area.

My parents (who live in the Detroit area) said they did not feel it themselves, but they were outside with their dog who ran back to the porch at that exact time like something horrible had happened. Now he won't set foot on the grass outside.

The interesting thing is I tried to fit this within my own schema. I attributed it to a strong wind, or the fact that I had taken cold medicine the night before and my head could have been a bit foggy. I never even thought of an earthquake until my friend called me. Even though I know about earthquakes from a geological perspective, it never crossed my mind as a possibility for this area. This instance shows me that we need to keep reminding ourselves to push the envelope of thinking...to look beyond the typical explainations we are comfortable with and find the truth. Hmmmm.... How does this relate to research? :)

Random Indiana Earthquake