A magnitude three rumble was recorded approximately 14 kilometres northwest of Sudbury at 6:53 a.m. this morning.
Rather than an earthquake, the event was mining related, Earthquakes Canada seismologist Nick Ackerley told Sudbury.com, pointing to the Creighton Mine operated by Vale as the location. There may have been an additional rumble following the initial event, but he said the data has yet to be analyzed.
Sudbury.com has reached out to Vale and received the following written statement:
"A local seismic event occurred in the early morning Sunday at Creighton mine measuring between 2.2 and 3.1 magnitude. Employees are all accounted for and there were no injuries. All seismic management protocols were followed and operations continue as normal."
The quake was “lightly felt in Sudbury,” according to Earthquakes Canada, with people from throughout the region taking to social media to report feeling something.
The approximate location of the quake was at a depth of one kilometre.
The magnitude scale is logarithmic, Earthquakes Canada explains on their website. This means an earthquake of magnitude six produces vibrations with amplitudes 10 times greater than those from a magnitude five earthquake and 100 times greater than those from a magnitude four earthquake.
They report that it is very unlikely that an earthquake with a magnitude of less than five could cause any damage.
Ackerley said that events such as this are “pretty common” in the Sudbury area, as well as other mining centres, but are nonetheless surprising to those working in close proximity to the events.
Within Greater Sudbury’s broader geographic area with the city at its centre and stretching as far as Quebec, the largest earthquake on record was recorded on Nov. 1, 1935, in Timiskaming, Quebec. The event had a magnitude of 6.2 and was felt as far away as Thunder Bay.
Earthquakes Canada lists the 11 largest earthquakes in the region as ranging from 3.3 to 6.2. Among those listed, the most recent was a magnitude of 3.5 recorded on Aug. 7, 2020, approximately 46 kilometres west of North Bay.
