Quebecers North Of Montreal Shaken By Their Second Earthquake In Three Days
The epicentre was four kilometres northwest of Saint-Sauveur.
The valley of Saint-Sauveur. Right: Map showing the epicentre of the earthquake.
People living in the Laurentians felt the ground move under their feet Sunday morning. A magnitude three earthquake struck the area around 11:30 a.m. The epicentre of the seismic activity took place four kilometres northwest of Saint-Sauveur, around 19.1 kilometres underground.
Residents of Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Anne-des-Lacs, Val-Morin and Sainte-Agathe took to the Météo Laurentides Facebook page to share their experiences.
“I'm in Ste-Adele and was on the phone with my mother in Val-David. We felt it almost at the same time. The rumbling lasted about thirty seconds," wrote one person.
MétéoMédia reports tremors could be felt for several seconds, accompanied by a sustained, loud noise. So far there have been no reports that the low-intensity earthquake caused any damage to buildings or roadways.
Meanwhile, on Friday, two magnitude one earthquakes hit the same area — one 13 kilometres north of La Pocatière and another seven kilometres from Saint-Sauveur.
Earthquakes with a magnitude under 2.5 usually aren't felt, but they can be recorded by a seismograph. Those between 2.5 and 5.4 are often felt but only cause minor damage.
Western Quebec is prone to seismic activity, especially along the banks of the Ottawa River and the Maniwaki-Montreal fault line. In fact, an earthquake occurs every five days on average in the western part of the province.
Last year, a magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck Joliette on May 17. The tremors were felt as far as Montreal on both the north and south shores.