Earthquakes Canada has confirmed a 3.9-magnitude earthquake occurred north of Shawville, Que., during the early afternoon on Tuesday. Residents in Ottawa, Maniwaki, and Pembroke reported feeling the quake around 12:36 p.m., with most describing it as weak shaking. According to Earthquakes Canada, earthquakes of this magnitude are commonly felt in the region but seldom result in any significant damage.
Historical government records show that no local earthquake in the past 127 years has exceeded the magnitude of a 5.6 quake that occurred in September 1944. Previous earthquakes in 2010 and 2013 registered around a magnitude of 5, while major earthquakes are classified as magnitude 7 and above.
Briony Baxter, a resident of Pembroke, Ont., was having lunch at home when she felt her house shake during the earthquake. Her pets reacted to the shaking, with her dog jumping off the couch and her cat getting agitated. Baxter described the experience, noting that she could hear the washer and dryer in the basement banging, causing her to panic momentarily. Although nothing fell from the walls of her home, Baxter was certain that it was an earthquake, emphasizing that it was distinctly different from the usual helicopter activity in her area.
The seismic event occurred in a region where a magnitude 5.2 quake was recorded in 2013, as stated by seismologist Michal Koraj. He explained that typically, damage begins to occur around a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale, placing this recent earthquake within a larger western Quebec seismic zone.
