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Three small earthquakes Wednesday morning in the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta were felt as far away as Edmonton.
Preliminary numbers from Earthquakes Canada say an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 was recorded southeast of the town of Peace River at 8:46 am MT.
It was followed by a 4.6-magnitude earthquake at 8:50 a.m. and a third at 9:07 a.m. with a magnitude of 3.8, Earthquakes Canada said.
All three incidents were centered in an area 20 to 35 miles northeast of the hamlet of Reno. The settlement is 45 kilometers southeast of Peace River.
The first earthquake occurred at a depth of one kilometer, while the second and third were five kilometers below ground, Earthquakes Canada said.
Each is “considered flexible,” the agency said. He said he had not received any reports of corruption.
In November, a series of seismic events including a 5.1 earthquake was reported within 50 kilometers of the activity on Thursday.
Andrew Schaeffer, a scientist with Natural Resources Canada, said more research is needed to determine the cause of the earthquakes.
“There is a possibility that these can be continued aftershock sequences from the November event. They can be separate events on their own,” Schaeffer said.
In a statement, Alberta Energy confirmed it was aware of the seismic activity.
“The Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), a division of the AER, is conducting an investigation to determine the cause, and any possible connection to the seismic events which occurred in the region in November 2022, the AER said.
Corinna Williams, reeve of Northern Sunrise County where the epicenter is located, said the recent earthquake activity has sparked conversations about emergency planning.
“It’s something we certainly have discussions about [about] and it’s top of mind, especially for our security services,” Williams said.
Northern Sun Protection Services shared earthquake safety tips on Thursday.
Williams said he is concerned about the impact earthquakes could have on local infrastructure.
“It’s something we can definitely bring forward in light of how hard it is [earthquakes] is taken into the planning. Is it something we need to start paying attention to?”
‘Dishes are rattling’
Schaeffer said with a magnitude between 4 and 5, light to moderate shaking would be expected in the area.
Sharon Taylor was about 500 miles away in her Edmonton apartment when she felt a brief tremor.
“I looked in the room because I could hear dishes rattling in my china cabinet and it was moving a little bit,” Taylor said.
“I’m not worried about it. But, you know, you’re just sitting there wondering, OK, is that going to get any worse?”
Schaeffer expects more seismic activity in the coming days.
“I would expect that the events will be less. That’s how the standard aftershock relationship works,” he said.