Just had one here in Toronto (~1:43PM).Sitting at our desks, the

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a recent earthquake that struck the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada, with participants sharing their personal experiences of the tremors felt in various locations, including Toronto, Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Buffalo. The conversation explores the nature of the earthquake, its effects, and the potential for aftershocks, as well as speculations about the geological causes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reported feeling the earthquake, with varying intensities and durations, such as 15 seconds in Toronto and 3 seconds in downtown Toronto.
  • Others, like participants in central Maine and southern New Brunswick, did not feel the tremors, attributing their lack of awareness to local noise or activities.
  • There are discussions about the expected aftershocks and whether they might be visible in water bodies.
  • Some participants expressed concern about potential structural damage from the earthquake.
  • One participant noted that the earthquake's epicenter was in Quebec, leading to discussions about the direction of seismic waves and the nature of fault lines in the region.
  • Speculations arose regarding the geological causes of the earthquake, including isostatic re-stabilization after glacial periods, with some humorously suggesting alternative theories involving aliens or government actions.
  • There were mentions of a perceived increase in earthquake frequency globally, with one participant questioning the relationship between this and environmental events like oil spills.
  • Clarifications were made regarding the epicenter's location and the nature of seismic wave propagation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the occurrence of the earthquake and its effects, but there are multiple competing views regarding its geological causes, the interpretation of seismic data, and the implications of recent seismic activity.

Contextual Notes

Some participants made assumptions based on the locations where the earthquake was felt, leading to discussions about the nature of seismic wave propagation and the definition of the epicenter. There are also unresolved questions about the potential for structural damage and the geological context of the region.

DaveC426913
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Just had one here in Toronto (~1:43PM).

Sitting at our desks, the whole office felt the building rock forth and forth for about 15s. What's wild is that we got forewarning: we were on a con-call with Ottawa (nearer the epicentre) and they experienced it 45s before we did.

Anyone else?
 
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Im in pittsburgh and the whole building started shaking about 10 mins or so ago. They are doing a whole bunch of construction on this building, so I just figured that's why. No idea it was an earthquake
 


DaveC426913 said:
Anyone else?
I should get ready to shake in about 20 minutes according to your measurement.
 


No shaking here in central Maine, but I wouldn't have noticed anyway - there is a lot of heavy truck traffic on our road and I would have laid it off to traffic.
 


I did feel it in Montreal. Very short tough.
 


Yup, I'm in downtown Toronto and it woke me up. It only lasted 3secs though. I thought someone bombed G20. =_=
 


Apparently, aftershocks are expected.

I'm right at the waterfront. I'd love to see if tremors might be visible in the water. Any bets?
 


DaveC426913 said:
Apparently, aftershocks are expected.

I'm right at the waterfront. I'd love to see if tremors might be visible in the water. Any bets?
If the water is VERY still, maybe. It would be interesting to see ripples at the edges of pools and channels from the shaking.
 


I felt it in Buffalo, NY. My first one.
 
  • #10


humanino said:
I should get ready to shake in about 20 minutes according to your measurement.
Indeed.

seismic_waves.png

http://xkcd.com/723/
 
  • #11


Was it strong enough to cause structural damage to buildings/roads? I hope not.

DaveC426913 said:
http://xkcd.com/723/

:smile:
 
  • #12


A magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck at the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking homes and businesses from Canada's capital in Ottawa on south to the U.S. state of West Virginia.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The midday quake was felt in Canada and in a number of U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.
The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of about 12 miles (19.2 kilometers). The agency initially said the quake had a 5.5 magnitude, but later reduced it to a magnitude-5.0. The quake occurred at 1:41 p.m. EDT (1741 GMT), the USGS said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cn_canada_earthquake
 
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  • #13


I like their reporting...

"The midday quake was felt in [that vast, uncharted and undifferentiated wasteland (ye Gods, do they even have borders up there or they just some monstrous orgy of anarchical tribespeople) called Canada] and in a number of U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York."
 
  • #14


This is pretty surprising to me. I wasn't aware of a fault that runs east/west like this.
 
  • #15


zoobyshoe said:
This is pretty surprising to me. I wasn't aware of a fault that runs east/west like this.

How do you know what direction the fault runs?
 
  • #16


Just saw the news. The Salvation Army building in Waterville was evacuated during the quake. It's an old building, and it apparently shook noticeably. That's just about 40 miles from here.
 
  • #17


We have a fault a few miles from here running through Missouri, go figure.

It's called the New Madrid fault. We get earthquakes AND tornadoes!
 
  • #18


DaveC426913 said:
How do you know what direction the fault runs?

I'm making an assumption based on the east/west line of locations where it was felt.
 
  • #19


had one wake me up when i lived in huntsville. i immediately recognized it was an earthquake (my first one ever) and went back to sleep. found a couple of things knocked over the next day.
 
  • #20


Initial news reports we read out here said that it shook TO out to Ottawa. So, sideways, yes? :smile:

You and everyone you know okay, Dave? My parents are just east of you. I need to check on them.
 
  • #22


Magnitude 5.0 - ONTARIO-QUEBEC BORDER REGION, CANADA

Date-Time:
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 17:41:41 UTC
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 01:41:41 PM at epicenter

Location: 45.904°N, 75.497°W
56 km (35 miles) NNE (16°) from OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada

Depth: 16.4 km (10.2 miles) set by location program

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/us2010xwa7.php#summary

Historical seismicity
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2010/eq_100623_xwa7/neic_xwa7_h.html


We occasionally get small earthquake ~1 - 2 Mag, but sometimes up to ~4.
 
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  • #23


I read that the cause was isostatic re-stabilization, that make sense to anyone? (Since the region was covered in glaciers 20 000 years ago)

Any other theories floating around out there, maybe aliens or the government?
 
  • #24


zoobyshoe said:
I'm making an assumption based on the east/west line of locations where it was felt.
Well, no. The places where it is felt will radiate out from a point - the epicenter - which is in Quebec.


What you're suggesting is that we also experienced an earthquake here near Toronto. We didn't. Was just felt the shock as it radiated from the epicenter.
 
  • #25


has anyone notice that the quakes are getting more frequent and spreading globally... i wonder what that oil volcano in the gulf will do... could it cause a collapse of the sea floor and release a tsunami?
 
  • #26


DaveC426913 said:
Well, no. The places where it is felt will radiate out from a point - the epicenter - which is in Quebec.


What you're suggesting is that we also experienced an earthquake here near Toronto. We didn't. Was just felt the shock as it radiated from the epicenter.

I thought that the 'epicenter' was right at Ottawa?

But yeah, I never felt a thing. Was too busy working my *** off outside in the blistering 31 + humidex heat. Sucked.
 
  • #27


pvas said:
has anyone notice that the quakes are getting more frequent and spreading globally...
No. Reporting bias.
pvas said:
i wonder what that oil volcano in the gulf will do... could it cause a collapse of the sea floor and release a tsunami?
No.
 
  • #28


zomgwtf said:
I thought that the 'epicenter' was right at Ottawa?
Yes. It was about 35 miles away - in Quebec.
See Astro's post.
 
  • #29


DaveC426913 said:
Well, no. The places where it is felt will radiate out from a point - the epicenter - which is in Quebec.


What you're suggesting is that we also experienced an earthquake here near Toronto. We didn't. Was just felt the shock as it radiated from the epicenter.
Indeed. I jumped to a conclusion after having read a list of east/west locations that felt it.
 
  • #30


We were supposed to be able to feel it down our way, but I was probably out walking at that time so didn't feel it.
 

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