A 3.9 magnitude earthquake shook the ground in the City of Grande Prairie on the evening of August 7th.
According to Natural Resources Canada Earthquake Seismologist Alison Bird, the quake which had social media buzzing overnight was “likely induced” by some of the industrial facilities in the area where it occurred.
She says the earthquake which took place around 65 kilometres from the city at a location just off Highway 40, was measured at a magnitude of 3.9, and posed no threat to anyone who felt it.
“A 3.9 earthquake is actually quite small, most people don’t start feeling earthquakes until magnitude five, but this was relatively shallow so that might be why people felt it,” she says. “An earthquake can happen anywhere and this was fairly small, so it’s not really a concern, it’s not an earthquake that could harm anyone or cause any damage.”
The seismologist notes that the quake was odd, as northern Alberta is not typically a hot zone for that sort of activity.
“It is in an area where we don’t really have a lot of activity, most activity tends to be towards the coastline where we’ve got major faults and a lot of pressures,” she says. “That’s an area where it’s known to have induced activity due to the industrial facilities in the area.”
While small, Bird suggests that earthquakes can happen anywhere, so it is important to stay aware of some measures to take to stay safe if they do occur, including finding cover quickly, avoiding doorways despite popular belief, and covering your head and neck in case of falling debris.
