“We did hear and feel the tremor here.” That’s how Ramara Fire Service described the moment a magnitude 3.7 earthquake rattled part of Orillia, Ont., around 11 p.m. Tuesday. The earthquake was centered about 23 kilometres southeast of Orillia and roughly 100 kilometres northeast of Toronto, according to Earthquakes Canada. “This was a true earthquake resulting from the rupture of a fault and not a frost quake,” said Mareike Adams, seismic analyst with Canadian Hazards Information Service with Natural Resources Canada. “Frost quakes typically occur when temperatures rapidly decrease from above freezing to subzero.” Ramara Fire Service said they received a call reporting what was believed to be an explosion and possible garage fire. Crews found no explosion or fire, determining the sound and shaking were caused by the earthquake. “Our fire service has not received any reports of damages or other concerns,” said Ramara Fire Chief Tony Stong. Roughly 2,500 people took to the Government of Ontario website “Did you feel it?” link to report feeling the rumble. Teams reported receiving calls from as far east as Kingston and across southern Ontario, including Kitchener, Hamilton, London, and St. Catharines. “This event occurred in the Southern Great Lakes seismic zone, which is a region with a low-to-moderate level of seismicity. A few moderate-sized events have occurred in the region in the last 100 years, but they were in Attica, New York, and near Cleveland,” stated Earthquakes Canada. Experts say earthquakes occur when the ground is soaked with water from heavy rainfall or snow melt, and the water seeps into the ground. “A sudden drop in temperature then causes underground water to freeze. When water freezes it expands, and as it expands, it pushes on the ground around it,” said Adams. No damage is expected at this magnitude, with officials noting damage generally occurs at magnitude five or higher. “If you’re very very close to the source, you are going to feel a strong shaking,” said Adams. “This event was one of the larger ones we felt in the region.” Some Ramara residents spoke to CTV’s Rob Cooper Wednesday, saying they thought it was a major crash; others thought it was a pressure crack blowing up on the ice. Some say it made them jump out of their bed. CTV News asked if the time of day plays a factor in the rumble, the response: “The time of day does not play into when an earthquake happens, as they can occur at any time and anywhere.” There are no reports of damage, according to seismic analyst Mareike Adams. It was “lightly felt.” She said, “If you do experience an earthquake, think about drop, covering and holding on.” On Wednesday morning, Ontario Provincial Police told CTV News that they received no earthquake-related calls for service in the area. The event will be analyzed in detail and added to Canada’s National Earthquake Database. “This catalog is used to inform our hazard models about rates of seismicity in regions across Canada,” Adams said.
