Earthquakes hit northern Alberta Tuesday evening

An earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude struck northern Alberta on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The quake, which struck east of Peace River, Alta. — which is 357 kilometres northwest of Edmonton — was at a depth of two kilometres, EMSC said.

EMSC revised the magnitude after first reporting the earthquake was of magnitude 5.9.

According to Earthquakes Canada and the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit at around 4:45 p.m. local time.

Earthquakes Canada reported it as a 5.2 magnitude earthquake at four kilometres deep. The USGS measured one shock at 4.9 magnitude and another at 4.6 five minutes later, both at nearly 10 kilometres down.

Users on social media reported feeling the earth move.

“Anybody else around Peace River feel the earthquake 10 minutes ago? And aftershock 5 minutes ago?” a user self-identified as Marc Tardif tweeted.

“Yes shook us quite a bit,” a Marc Lavoie responded.

The username _ChirpsAhoy said he felt it in Grande Prairie, Alta., nearly 200 kilometres away.

“Did… did I experience an earthquake just north of Grande Prairie? It felt like someone was gently shaking my house for 2 seconds,” Donovan Eckstrom posted.

According to Earthquakes Canada, it’s the fourth earthquake with a magnitude of greater than four to hit the area in the past week. Wednesday had two quakes at magnitude 4.5 and 4.1 and another 4.1 magnitude quake hit on Thursday.

Just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was reported near the earlier ones by Reno, Alta., just east of Peace River.

Immediately after, multiple people reported feeling similar effects in Edmonton.

–with files from Reuters

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