Those who live in western Canada definitely know about the imminent danger of large earthquakes near you. There have been quakes there in the past, and there will be some there again, no doubt about it. It is much less commonly known that eastern Canada has many earthquakes as well. Though not as common as in the west, there are still many quakes in this region.
How are there even earthquakes in the middle of a plate?
Most people know that earthquakes occur around plate boundaries, the places where the different tectonic plates of the world move past each other. But, there are also other regions within those plates called fault lines. These “lines” are areas where the Earth’s crust is significantly weaker than the areas around them. This results in an area within the plate with many more quakes than normal. eastern Canada, specifically the areas near the St. Lawrence river, are affected most. This is a result of the St. Lawrence river being directly above many small fault lines, collectively called a rift fault (or rift valley). It is an area where the lithosphere is being pulled apart very slowly, in many different places at once. It is this movement that creates the quakes.
How strong can …show more content…
Lawrence can be very devastating. They are mostly concentrated in the Charlevoix seismic area. This area includes the city of Québec, and is the most seismically active area in eastern Canada. Currently, in this area, there are over 200 quakes per year, or one every day and a half. There have been five magnitude 6.0 or larger quakes in this area in its recorded history, the largest of which was an estimated magnitude of 7.0, in the year 1663. It was felt over an area of 1,942,491 square kilometres. It caused landslides and was reported to have leveled an entire waterfall. Another quake off the coast of Newfoundland of similar magnitude caused a large tsunami, drowning 27 people on the shore, one other dying to their injuries, in
How are there even earthquakes in the middle of a plate?
Most people know that earthquakes occur around plate boundaries, the places where the different tectonic plates of the world move past each other. But, there are also other regions within those plates called fault lines. These “lines” are areas where the Earth’s crust is significantly weaker than the areas around them. This results in an area within the plate with many more quakes than normal. eastern Canada, specifically the areas near the St. Lawrence river, are affected most. This is a result of the St. Lawrence river being directly above many small fault lines, collectively called a rift fault (or rift valley). It is an area where the lithosphere is being pulled apart very slowly, in many different places at once. It is this movement that creates the quakes.
How strong can …show more content…
Lawrence can be very devastating. They are mostly concentrated in the Charlevoix seismic area. This area includes the city of Québec, and is the most seismically active area in eastern Canada. Currently, in this area, there are over 200 quakes per year, or one every day and a half. There have been five magnitude 6.0 or larger quakes in this area in its recorded history, the largest of which was an estimated magnitude of 7.0, in the year 1663. It was felt over an area of 1,942,491 square kilometres. It caused landslides and was reported to have leveled an entire waterfall. Another quake off the coast of Newfoundland of similar magnitude caused a large tsunami, drowning 27 people on the shore, one other dying to their injuries, in