Nation IN BRIEF : MIDWEST : ‘Quake’s a Crock,’ Geologist Declares

One man’s prediction of an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault from Illinois to Mississippi will prove to be a total non-event, a geologist said. But many residents waited anxiously for today to come and go, the day New Mexico climatologist Iben Browning said was the most likely for a quake. Skeptics partied to music like “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and ordered Jell-O for dessert so they could watch it wiggle. Seth Stein, chairman of the Northwestern University Geology Department, joined a long list of experts rejecting Browning’s prediction: “I’ll state it as clearly as I can: Browning’s prediction has been evaluated and determined to be complete nonsense, without scientific foundation--which is our jargon for: ‘It’s a crock.’ ”