5.0 earthquake shakes Ontario and Quebec

At approximately 1:41pm on Wednesday afternoon, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook Eastern North America. While reports of tremours have been logged from Montreal to Windsor, and as far away as several U.S. states, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has pinpointed the Ontario-Quebec border region as the quake’s epicenter.

In the nation’s capital, only 61 kilometres south of where the earthquake hit, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that the tremours forced the evacuation of many buildings – including parliamentary offices. According to AFP, the walls of Ottawa’s Parliamentary Press Gallery suffered “cracks” as a result of the 20-to-30 second quake. However, despite reports of minor damages, any injuries as a result of the quake have yet to be determined.

As for the magnitude, a 5.0-sized earthquake is considered to be relatively moderate. However, according to the Globe and Mail, an earthquake of this size does harbour the potential to inflict substantial damage to poorly constructed buildings.