6 Earthquakes Hit Alberta & One Could Be The Province's 'Largest Earthquake Ever Recorded'
The earthquakes all happened in the last 24 hours.
Peace River, Alberta.
A series of earthquakes took place in northern Alberta last night, and one of them might have been the largest ever recorded in the province.
According to Earthquakes Canada, the first earthquake – a 5.2-magnitude quake – was felt around 29 kilometres outside of Reno in northern Alberta at around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29.
It was then followed by a larger 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which was also felt strongly just outside Reno, a hamlet around 45 kilometres away from Peace River in northern Alberta, around an hour later.
The second earthquake "could be the largest earthquake ever recorded in the province," according to The Weather Network.
There have been "no reports of damage" so far, Earthquakes Canada said. The quake was lightly felt in areas of eastern B.C. and western Alberta, and there have also been a number of aftershocks felt in northern Alberta since it took place.
However, there were still several more earthquakes that hit the area. Another 5.0-magnitude earthquake took place around two hours later, and three more 4.0-magnitude quakes were felt throughout the night and the following morning near Reno.
Before last night's earthquake, the largest recorded quake in the province was in 2001. According to the Alberta Geological Society, the earthquake that took place on the Alberta-British Columbia border, around 100 kilometres out from Grande Prairie, registered a 5.4 in magnitude .
Earthquakes in the province aren't that common, and they usually are minor to moderate levels, it added.
However, the number of earthquakes has increased over the years due to human activity such as oil and gas exploration, hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal.