Remembering When Southwest Michigan Felt The Effects of the 1980 Mag. 5.1 Earthquake
It is a day that will truly live in infamy. On July 27th, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake rocked Mount Sterling, Kentucky that sent tremors all the way up to Michigan, which was felt especially in Allegan, Coldwater, Flint, Hastings, and Mount Pleasant. What would transpire was a series of events that still rattles the people here in Michigan, as we are not used to earthquakes regularly. One person shared their experience on a historical page recently:
There was one about that time that hit around mid afternoon on a Sunday. I was in the above ground swimming pool. I swam across it and it was full of 3 inch waves all across the pool. I tried to get it to happen again and no luck. My mother called and asked if I knew there was an earthquake. We were in Shelby Township about 25 miles north of Detroit.
The devastating 3-inch waves were nothing compared to the effects felt by the mag 5.1 earthquake.
My youngest and I were eating in a restaurant in Coldwater, Michigan, and we watched the floor "roll" like small waves!
There were also reports of cars shaking lightly, a chair falling over on a porch, coffee being spilled from someone's morning cup, as well as a couple of small items rolling off a table. A man even reportedly was yelled at by his mother for what she thought was him shaking the house with rough play with a friend. To this day, the scars of that event can still be seen. Still can't get that coffee stain out...
Tornadoes in Michigan, Early 1900s