![Western Quebec Seismic Zone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Western_Quebec_Seismic_Zone.png)
The Western Quebec Seismic Zone (french: Zone sismique de l'Ouest du Québec) is a
seismically active area in the
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley of the Ottawa River, along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, Quebec, Canada. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Because of the surroundi ...
in Eastern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and Western
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The zone stretches from
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
to
Témiscaming
Témiscaming is a city located at the south end of Lac Témiscamingue on the upper Ottawa River in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality of western Quebec, Canada. Also nearby is Lake Kipawa.
It is the administrative headquarters o ...
and from
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
up along the
Laurentian Mountains
The Laurentian Mountains ( French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...
.
Significant earthquakes associated with this seismic zone include the
1732 Montreal earthquake, the
1935 Timiskaming earthquake, the
1944 Cornwall–Massena earthquake, and the
2010 Central Canada earthquake.
Between the years 1980 and 2000 there were 16 earthquakes stronger than a
Richter 4.0, with many more of a lesser magnitude. The zone averages about one seismic event every five days.
Seismological monitoring of the zone is performed by the
Canadian National Seismograph Network The Canadian National Seismograph Network is a network of seismographs to detect earthquakes across Canada. It is operated by the Geological Survey of Canada
The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is ...
.
Significant earthquakes
1732 Montreal earthquake
Because this is the earliest recorded local earthquake, there is little information about it. It is known that it was a powerful earthquake, leaving much devastation but few deaths. It caused panic and damage to buildings. The aftershocks could be felt for several days after the initial earthquake.
1935 Timiskaming earthquake
At the epicenter of the 1935
Timiskaming earthquake, cracks in gravel and sand could be seen. Almost all chimneys were damaged or destroyed, and some cracks developed in brick walls. The next day, Tee Lake (close to the epicenter) was clouded. It is suspected that sediment which was previously undisturbed was shaken up by the earthquake. This event scored a 7 on the
Modified Mercalli Scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
.
1944 Cornwall–Massena earthquake
Although it was only measured as 5.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, the Cornwall earthquake did considerable damage and also scored a 7 on the Modified Mercalli Scale. Roughly 2000 chimneys were damaged or destroyed. One school suffered heavy damage with brick falling through the roof of its gym.
2010 Central Canada earthquake
On 23 June 2010 at 1:41:42 EST, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake occurred 32 km north of Buckingham, Quebec at a depth of 18 km. It was felt throughout Western Quebec, Ottawa, and other parts of Ontario, and as far away as Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Vermont in the U.S.
2013 Central Canada earthquakes
On 17 May 2013 at 9:43:23 EST, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake occurred 17 km north of Shawville, Quebec at a depth of 5 km. At 9:53:54 EST, a 4.1 magnitude aftershock occurred 20 km north of Shawville. It was felt throughout Western Quebec, Ottawa, and other parts of Ontario, and as far away as Ohio in the U.S.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in Canada
This is a list of earthquakes in Canada.
List
Abbreviations used:
See also
*Hydraulic fracturing in Canada
References
External links
*Natural Resources CanadEarthquakes Canada*Earthquakes CanadRecent earthquakes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earthquake ...
References
{{coord, 46.37, N, 76.71, W, display=title
Geology of Quebec
Geology of Ontario
Earthquakes in Quebec
Seismic zones of Canada