05-05-2006, 04:37 AM
Earthquake shakes Oakville, frightens residents
Oakville, Ont. residents felt the earth move beneath their feet Thursday morning as a magnitude 2.7 earthquake shook the area for several seconds.
"All of a sudden there was this loud boom that sounded like an explosion," Oakville resident Cathy Godberson told CTV.ca. "The whole house shook, especially the floor. I felt it right up through my feet."
Seismologists with Natural Resources Canada confirmed that at 10:50 a.m. a small quake was recorded four kilometres north-west of Oakville. The source of the quake was almost five kilometres underground.
But it was enough to catch the attention of residents.
"It was scary. It was loud enough that it sounded like an explosion in the not-too-far distance," Godberson said.
While the quake was noticed by people in the area, seismologists say it was not strong enough to cause significant damage.
"There wouldn't be any structural damage associated with this," Seismologist Janet Drysdale told CTV.ca. "But people would wonder what's going on. It's not an everyday occurrence in their lives."
Scientists with Natural Resources Canada are examining data from the quake and will prepare a report. They say strong earthquakes are rare in the area, but small quakes are occasionally felt in that area near the end of Lake Ontario.
"Generally they're not too large. This is one of the larger ones," Drysdale said.
She said the largest quake recorded in the area had a magnitude of 3.8. It occurred Aug. 4, 2004 and the epicenter was located in Lake Ontario.
Quakes of magnitude 5.0 and stronger are usually associated with structural damage.
No reports of damage have been received as a result of Thursday's tremor.
Source : CTV.ca News Staff
Oakville, Ont. residents felt the earth move beneath their feet Thursday morning as a magnitude 2.7 earthquake shook the area for several seconds.
"All of a sudden there was this loud boom that sounded like an explosion," Oakville resident Cathy Godberson told CTV.ca. "The whole house shook, especially the floor. I felt it right up through my feet."
Seismologists with Natural Resources Canada confirmed that at 10:50 a.m. a small quake was recorded four kilometres north-west of Oakville. The source of the quake was almost five kilometres underground.
But it was enough to catch the attention of residents.
"It was scary. It was loud enough that it sounded like an explosion in the not-too-far distance," Godberson said.
While the quake was noticed by people in the area, seismologists say it was not strong enough to cause significant damage.
"There wouldn't be any structural damage associated with this," Seismologist Janet Drysdale told CTV.ca. "But people would wonder what's going on. It's not an everyday occurrence in their lives."
Scientists with Natural Resources Canada are examining data from the quake and will prepare a report. They say strong earthquakes are rare in the area, but small quakes are occasionally felt in that area near the end of Lake Ontario.
"Generally they're not too large. This is one of the larger ones," Drysdale said.
She said the largest quake recorded in the area had a magnitude of 3.8. It occurred Aug. 4, 2004 and the epicenter was located in Lake Ontario.
Quakes of magnitude 5.0 and stronger are usually associated with structural damage.
No reports of damage have been received as a result of Thursday's tremor.
Source : CTV.ca News Staff