Being prepared is vital to individual and family safety, even in areas were earthquakes may be less common, according to the Red Cross.
The New Madrid Fault has produced eight earthquakes in or near Indiana since 2000 according to the United States Geological Survey.
About 30,000 earthquakes between 2.5 and 5.4 occur each year worldwide, according to the World Data Center for Seismology.
A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Eastern Indonesia on Nov. 4, causing people to flee their homes in panic.
Earthquakes happen every day, but the vast majority are concentrated along the boundaries between tectonic plates. The nearest plates are at the California coast, the mid-Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, which leaves Indiana out of more prominent earthquake zones.
Although Indiana is not immune to earthquakes, the likelihood of an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5.0 is low.
“[Muncie] is an area that’s had very little seismic activity, even looking at the historical record,” said Michael Hamburger, an Indiana University Bloomington geologist.
While Indiana is familiar with small to moderate earthquakes, Hamburger said they almost always originate in the Wabash Valley Fault System near Evansville in southern Indiana. The Wabash River Valley fault line runs between Vincennes and Terre Haute. Most predicted epicenters are located in southwest Indiana and southern Illinois.
Muncie has a very low earthquake risk, with a total of three significant earthquakes originating near the area since 1931. The U.S. Geological Survey database shows there is a .54 percent chance of a major earthquake within 30 miles of the city.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Indiana on April 18, 2008, was centered in Mount Carmel, Ill., where the Wabash and Ohio rivers converge. That quake was the strongest in the state in 40 years.
Earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.5 and 5.4 are often felt, but generally only cause minor damage, according to UPSeis, an educational website from Michigan Technological University's Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences.
The most recent earthquake felt in the Muncie area was on December 30, 2010, according to the United States Geological Survey and the World Data Center for Seismology. The 3.8-magnitude quake was centered five miles southeast of Greentown, Ind.
This region “is one of the quietest areas in this part of the country,” Hamburger said. The best-known Midwestern earthquakes come from the New Madrid Seismic Zone, located well south and west of this quake.
“The lower the magnitude, the more common,” Hamburger said. "A magnitude 3.0 earthquake happens about 10 times each year—once every month or couple months. They tend to happen at the small magnitudes pretty frequently, but in this area it’s very rare."
According to the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency's website, there is “an all-hazards, all-risks plan in place for the county. This plan works for tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and other natural events.”
“The Ball State Crisis Management Team works closely with emergency response, law enforcement, and medical agencies in Delaware County to ensure a coordinated response in the event of a crisis,” said Alan Hargrave, chair of the crisis management team and associate vice president of student affairs.
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