Hanson Quarry to Review Monday Blast, Denies Responsibility for Tremor

By Joe O'Donnell

Updated at 5:59 p.m.

There was quarry blasting going on at the Hanson Material Service site Monday, according to the Village of La Grange, but the company denies it was out of the ordinary and behind the tremor that shook the western suburbs Monday afternoon. 

"Hanson Material Service quarry has stated that they were preforming routine blasting operations at 12:35 p.m. today and that the blast was consistent with their typical operations. The quarry reports that the recorded seismic readings related to the blast were below regulatory limits," according to a message posted on the village website.

"Further, the quarry states that approximately seven seconds after the blast, a separate seismic event was recorded. Hanson is in the process of reviewing the seismic readings in order to better understand what may have occurred, but at this time they are denying any correlation between their blast and the seismic event."

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is investigating Monday's event, which the U.S. Geographic Survey (USGS) attributed to quarry blasting.

Claims for damage should be directed to the Hanson Material Service quarry by calling the Lyons Township Quarry Complaint line at 1-866-WE-HEAR-U (1-866-934-3278).

Updated at 4:43 p.m.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the magnitude of Monday afternoon's ground-shaking quarry blast in the western suburbs registered at 3.2, down from an initial estimate of 3.7 earlier in the day.

The Chicago Tribune talked to a USGS geophysicist who said the wave patterns from Monday's event do not match those of an earthquake, and that the USGS is "pretty sure" it's from a blast. 

The Tribune reports that a representative of McCook's Vulcan Materials said there was no blasting going on in their quarry Monday, and that a representative of a second McCook quarry, operated by Hanson Material Service, would not comment on whether there was blasting going on Monday.

Read the full Tribune story here.

The McCook Police Department has not been able to confirm to Patch that the blast came from one of the village's quarries. 

Updated at 1:58 p.m. 

Patch spoke with Countryside police, who said they are relying on information from the USGS and could not confirm any details of the quarry blast.

Updated at 1:13 p.m.

The U.S. Geological Survey is now reporting that the tremor felt Monday afternoon in La Grange was from a quarry blast near Countryside. 

The USGS had previously reported the tremor as magnitude-3.7 earthquake.

Updated at 1:06 p.m.

The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting that a magnitude 3.7 earthquake took place Monday at 12:35 p.m.

The epicenter of the quake, the USGS reports, was in Indian Head Park.

Original story:

A tremor was felt in the La Grange area at approximately 12:30 p.m. Monday. Hinsdale police said it is not believed to have been caused by an earthquake, La Grange police said it could been. 

"We had just felt a tremor and although it remains unconfirmed, but preliminary indication received is that this was a quarry blast that was felt fairly strong in the Hinsdale community," Hinsdale Deputy Police Chief Mark Wodka said in an email Monday at 12:40 p.m.

A post later on the department's Facebook page read:

"The Countryside Police are confirming preliminarily that the tremor felt this afternoon, about 12:35, was a quarry blast."

The National Weather Service tweeted at 12:44 p.m. that it had received reports of the tremor:

"We received a call from our Oak Brook observer about what appeared to be a minor earthquake at 1236 PM CST. Shaking lasted ~5 sec."

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A few readers commented on the blast the La Grange Patch Facebook page. 

• Dawn said she felt it downtown, near the train station. "We thought a truck hit the building in the alley, because that is a common occurrence."
• Liliana said, "My mom heard it and felt it at 50th and Ashland. She says she wouldn't be surprised if there are cracks in the walls of her house. Direct quote: 'It felt like the house shook right off of its foundation."
• Monique said, "We're real close to the quarry and felt a normal blast followed by the house levitating about 5 seconds later."

• Jamie said, "(It) Totally shook my house. Heard the blast. Felt the shake."
• Sean said, "Felt and heard it on Stone. Shook all the glassware in the cabinets."
• Karen said, "No way it was the quarry... Oak Brook, downers Grove, Hinsdale all reporting it too."
• Claudia said, "The entire 300 block Leitch ave shook."
• Tom said, "Felt on Hillgrove"
• Christine said, "We felt it in La Grange, whole house shook for several seconds. 0-100 blk N Spring"
  Bill said, "Felt strong in LGP (wife) and Wheaton (me) for a sec."
• Becky said, "All the neighbors in 100 block S Catherine."
• Melissa Felt it in Brookfield."

Did you feel the tremor? Tell us about it in the comments below.