Science and Tech Expert Dan Riskin on the earthquake that struck near Orillia how it could be caused by glaciers melting from 10,000 years ago.
More than 3,000 people in Ontario felt a magnitude 3.7 earthquake that struck southern Ontario late Tuesday night.
According to Natural Resources Canada, the event occurred 23 kilometres southeast of Orillia at 10:59 p.m. at a depth of five kilometres.
No reports of damage have been reported.
The government agency’s “did you feel the earthquake” questionnaire saw at least 3,208 submissions by Wednesday morning, with most residents saying they felt a weak to light vibration.
At least two people said they felt a “moderate” shake during the event that only lasted a few seconds.
CTVNews.ca asked its readers what they felt during the rare event. Here’s what they said:
‘I thought I maybe imagined it’
Kim Schneider lives near Saintfield, Ont., and said she thought she heard a large-semi truck passing by when the quake struck.
“Our large guard dogs started barking because I’m sure they felt/heard it too,” she said in an email. “It was over really quickly and I thought I maybe imagined it. When I got into the house, my adult daughter met me at the door wondering what happened as her bed shook, the stuff on her shelves moved and the large mirror hanging on her door rattled.”
‘A loud bang’
Ruth Watt lives in Orillia and said she hear “a loud bang” just before 11 p.m.
“I thought it was a piece of heavy equipment, and didn’t know it was an earthquake until a friend in Ottawa in messaged me about it this morning.”
‘We thought our bed was cracking!’
Ginnie Venslovaitis is in Toronto and said she felt a tremor when the earthquake hit.
“We thought our bed was cracking! We said: ‘What was that?’ We thought maybe an earthquake. We experienced one 30 plus years ago along the St Lawrence River.”
‘Thought it was a snow plow’
“I felt the earthquake in Whitby around 11p.m.” said Travis Samuel.
“Initially I just thought it was the snowplow, because when it comes down our street, I can hear it and there’s a brief shaky loud sound. Afterwards on social media realized it was an earthquake.”
‘We usually get little shakes every year but not like this’
Joe Sipak lives in Innisfil and said the entire event only last about three seconds.
“I thought it was the ice from the lake that was starting to form and shift that was creating it cause we usually get little shakes every year but not like this.”
‘What was that?!’
Rosemarie Fishley said the hallway and dining room of her Orono, Ont., shook at around 11 p.m.
“I startled and yelled out to my husband who was asleep upstairs, ‘What was that?!’ He yelled down, ‘I am sure just a frost quake.’ I wasn’t so certain and this morning I learned that I was correct!!’
‘Felt the bed moving back and forth’
“My husband was in the hot tub and I was in bed and felt the bed moving back and forth,” Linda Fitzgerald of Ashburn, Ont., said. “He came in at 11:01 p.m. and I asked him if he had felt the earthquake and he had not. Good to know I am not losing it totally.”
‘Thought I might have been dreaming;
Casandra Burke said she was falling asleep Tuesday night when she felt a “slight vibration.”
“I was confused. I thought I might have been dreaming but now reading that there was an earthquake that makes sense,” the Scarborough resident said.