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Did you feel it? Weekend earthquake rumbles across southwestern Ontario

(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti).

Most parts of southwestern Ontario might have felt the ground shake over the weekend.

According to Earthquake Canada, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake with an epicentre northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, was reportedly felt across the region around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday.

The intensity map from the National Earthquake Monitoring Authority showed that some residents felt the effects from the earthquake in London, St. Thomas, Stratford, Woodstock, Brantford, Kitchener, Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls.

The image shows areas where people reported feeling the earthquake, with the star showing the epicentre. Earthquakes Canada

The systemic event hit around 67 km east-north-east of Cleveland, and 186 km east-south-east of Detroit.

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Approximate location of the 4.3 magnitude earthquake that was felt on Sunday, August 27, 2023.
Approximate location of the 4.3 magnitude earthquake that was felt on Sunday, August 27, 2023. Earthquake Canada
“This earthquake occurred in a region we call the Southern Great Lakes Seismic Zone,” said Stephen Cane, seismologist and research scientist at Natural Resources Canada. “This is a big region encompassing southern Ontario and into the United States [and] our analysts routinely record about two to three earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 and above, per year, not all of those will be felt.”

He said that with an earthquake of this size on Sunday, no damage or injuries would likely have been reported.

“What people would have felt was probably just a short shaking duration [and] maybe some glasses or some windows rattling, possibly enough that they would’ve been woken up if they were asleep,” he said. “But nothing that would be too concerning.

“This earthquake that occurred is not out of the ordinary,” Cane continued. “It is an earthquake that has occurred before and we would expect to occur given the level of seismicity that’s in the area.”

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He told Global News that larger earthquakes have been reported throughout the area in past decades.

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“In 1986, there was a magnitude 5.0 near Cleveland and then, more recently, in 1998, there was a magnitude 4.5 near the Ohio Pennsylvania border,” he said, adding that “a magnitude 5.0 is 10 times greater than a magnitude 4.0.”

“Historically, we don’t see damage from an earthquake until it reaches about a magnitude 5.0,” Cane said.

He advised that “when an earthquake does occur, if you start to feel the shaking, take personal protective action.”

“Generally, that’s drop, cover and hold on,” Cane said. “So drop under a desk, hold on to its leg, and that will just help prevent anything from falling on top of you as that is commonly the source of the most injuries.”

Click to play video: 'Injured earthquake survivors from Turkiye arrive in Calgary'
Injured earthquake survivors from Turkiye arrive in Calgary

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