Earthquakes Canada is confirming a 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit an area about 26 kilometres east-south-east of North Bay this afternoon around 2:23.
Check it out for yourself here.
The website calls the quake minor with the approximate location 20 km NE from Powassan, part of the Eastern Background Seismic Zone. It has also been felt near Chisholm and East Ferris.
"There are no reports of damage, and none would be expected," says the website.
BayToday started getting reports from readers about the quake around 2:30 this afternoon.
One caller said, "We heard it when we stepped in the house. People on Treadlightly (street in East Ferris). People we know in Astorville, they felt it and heard it. It sounded like an explosion but it was a lot longer than a normal rock blast. It went on for five seconds and we could hear a bit of a rumble. Several people out here felt it."
East Ferris Fire Chief Frank Loeffen told BayToday that he's had calls.
"A couple of people have said that things shook a bit. The municipal office has received a couple of phone calls. I just received a message from one of my members over in Astorville saying some things tipped over in Astorville."
The East Ferris town office says it has received about a dozen calls by 4:30 this afternoon.
One commenter posted, "I felt it in Bonfield ..I thought something crashed into my house or something my whole house was shaking."
The North Bay area is part of an earthquake zone. (See map.)
According to Earthquakes Canada the largest quake to hit the area was a 6.2 event on November 1, 1935. Called the Timiskaming earthquake, cracks in gravel and sand could be seen. Almost all chimneys were damaged or destroyed, and some cracks developed in brick walls. These conditions persisted 110 km away from the epicenter. 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.
According to Wikipedia, a large quake hit this area in 2000, called the Kipawa Quake. It struck with a magnitude of of 5.2 at 6:22 a.m. on January 1. It occurred in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone. The main shock epicenter was located in Lake Kipawa about 10 km (6 mi) north of Témiscaming Quebec and 70 km (43 mi) northeast of North Bay. The shaking associated with this earthquake was strongest within 50 km (31 mi) of the epicenter. It was felt in Témiscaming, North Bay and as far away as Toronto, making it one of the most significant earthquakes in Canada in 2000.The earthquake was triggered by major thrust faults associated with the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben.
If you felt today's quake, Natural Resources Canada asks that you fill out their questionnaire here.
