Posted by wishywashymissy (LadderOp) (Ranked 70 on Dominoes (Pogo) Ladder) on June 23, 2010 at 12:04:43 PDT:
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit central Canada this afternoon, rattling buildings from Windsor to Montreal and several U.S. states.
The epicentre of the quake was likely in Quebec, north of Ottawa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and struck at 1:41 p.m. EDT at a depth of 18 kilometres. The area - known as the Charlevoix-Kamouraska zone along the St. Lawrence River - is the most active seismic zone in that part of Canada, according to a report for the Canadian Geological Survey published earlier this year.
The same report predicted that the odds of a "structurally damaging" quake for Ottawa were about 9 per cent over the next 50 years. For Vancouver, the largest city near Canada's other most active seismic zone, those odds were estimated at 11 per cent.
An earthquake with a magniture of 5.0 is considered to be a moderate one but it can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At the most, it should cause only slight damage to well-designed buildings.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/reports-of-earthquake-in-ontario/article1614941/
My brother is in Ottawa and they are all safe!
So please stay safe!