Mareike Adams said when the ground shifted yesterday near Buffalo, N.Y., it caught her by surprise.
“It has been a while since we’ve last felt an earthquake activity, so yesterday’s event felt very intense,” Adams, a seismic analyst with Natural Resources Canada, said.
According to Earthquakes Canada’s official report on the earthquake, the quake struck at approximately 6:15 a.m.
The U.S. Geological Survey classified the quake at a magnitude of 3.8 and says the seismic activity originated just northeast of West Seneca, N.Y, about six kilometres east of Buffalo.
EARTHQUAKE Mag=4.2 on 06 Feb at 06:15 EST.
Details : https://t.co/xxCm6xCYXZ
6 km E of Buffalo, NY
97 km ESE of Hamilton, ON
— Earthquakes Canada (@CANADAquakes) February 6, 2023
It was felt in many parts of southern Ontario.
“Thankfully there were no damages reported on our side of the border and also in the Buffalo area,” Adams said.
“We would’ve seen some minor damage if the Earthquake happened at a magnitude of 4.5 to 5.0,” she said.
Adams also talked about the last time the Greater Toronto Area felt the shock waves of an earthquake as well as the worst event that ever happened in Canada’s history.
“In 2010, the earthquake in Ottawa was detected at a magnitude of 5.0 and obviously that would be felt from a larger distance away from the centre of it. In 1929, we experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Newfoundland and Labrador where we did some aftershocks, lots of casualties and even a tsunami,” Adams said.
“Going back to yesterday’s earthquake, it is not related to the one that struck Syria and Turkey where we saw lots of destruction. Overall, it depends on how strong the building is, the lesser chance of it going to be destroyed by the quake,” she said.
This small earthquake comes after a devastating 7.8 earthquake occurred in Syria and Turkey respectively yesterday morning killing more than 3,500 thousand people and injuring countless others. Thousands are still missing under crumbled buildings, and there is little hope that the majority will be found alive.