Eastern Ontario isn’t typically thought of as an area with high earthquake risk, but it is actually a highly active seismic zone. Unlike the west coast of North America, which lies along a tectonic plate boundary, the West Quebec Seismic Zone has intraplate faults, meaning it is not near a plate boundary.
Much of the activity here and in the Charlevoix region of Quebec is due to the rifts which formed the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River valleys. Earthquakes over magnitude 5 have happened here within historical times and smaller temblors, usually under magnitude 3 happen frequently, over 160 of them occurring last year alone.
Engineering geologist Harry Baker came into the CJRO studio to talk about the recent earthquake and earthquakes in this region, the West Quebec Seismic Zone. The most recent quake was on February 1, 2024 and measured 3.6.
Baker explains in more detail and describes staying safe during an event.
