Earthquakes Today Strike Canada; Toronto, Vermont, Even New York Report Tremors

There were two events of earthquakes today that struck Canada - the first one in Quebec and the succeeding one in Ontario.

Just this Friday morning, May 17, 2013, at around 9.43 am, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit Quebec, specifically near Shawville. Ten minutes later, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake was felt close to Breaside, Ontario. Due to the strong magnitude of the earthquakes today, people from places as far as Hamilton, Vermont, Montreal, Toronto and even the northern part of Pennsylvania and Upstate New York felt the tremors.

The United States Geographical Survey specified in the news that the quake happened 16 miles northeastern side of Shawville. Its epicenter was at 35 miles eastern side of Pembroke and 40 miles northwestern part of the Gatinuea. Furthermore, the tremors were recorded at 46 miles eastern side of Petawawa and 43 miles Northwest of Ottawa, which is the Canadian capital. They also reported that the quake had no depth and it started only 3 miles underneath the ground level. This is why the entire region felt the tremors.

Residents from Ontario and Quebec told CBC that they felt a lot of shakes and quivers, which lasted for about 30 seconds. However, despite the extent of its magnitude, there was no damage reported yet in the Waterloo Region. The office of the Ontario Provincial Police, which is located close to the epicenter of the earthquake, stated that they have not received any reports yet about significant damages that are incurred during this natural phenomenon.

How do experts detect earthquake, then? Well, basically, possible quakes can be detected using a seismometer, also known as seismograph, which is a device that can record the movements of the ground and detect seismic waves that are produced by earthquakes. However, the modern technology used nowadays to detect an earthquake can only help the authorities in forewarning the people of an earthquake that might happen; preventing this kind of natural phenomenon is an impossible goal. This is the reason why experts tell people  that it is necessary to follow the safety or even evacuation procedures whenever a quake is about to happen.