Earthquakes Canada has reported a 3.9-magnitude earthquake north of Shawville, Quebec, early Tuesday afternoon. Residents in Ottawa, Maniwaki, and Pembroke felt the quake around 12:36 p.m., with most describing it as weak shaking. According to Earthquakes Canada, earthquakes of this magnitude are typically felt in the region but seldom result in damage.
Historical government records show that no local earthquake in the past 127 years has exceeded a 5.6 magnitude, recorded in September 1944. Previous earthquakes in 2010 and 2013 registered around a magnitude of 5. Major earthquakes are classified as magnitude 7 and above.
Briony Baxter, a resident of Pembroke, Ontario, experienced the earthquake while having lunch at home. She described feeling her house shake, causing her pets to react nervously. Baxter mentioned hearing noises from her basement appliances during the quake, which lasted about a minute. Despite the shaking, no damage occurred in her home. The seismic event occurred in a known seismic zone in western Quebec, close to where a 5.2 magnitude quake was recorded in 2013, according to seismologist Michal Koraj.
Koraj explained that typically damage starts to occur around a magnitude of 5, emphasizing the relatively moderate impact of the recent earthquake.