5.0 magnitude: Rocky Mountain House earthquake upgraded, 2nd largest in Alberta history
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook central Alberta Wednesday night.
At approximately 9:23 p.m., Earthquakes Canada reported a 4.1 magnitude earthquake 37 kilometres north of Rocky Mountain House.
That magnitude was upgraded to 5.0 on the Richter scale by Earthquakes Canada on Thursday afternoon.
The upgrade means it was Alberta's second largest on record.
People as far north as Edmonton and as far south as Calgary reported feeling "weak shaking" on Earthquake Canada website's scale of intensity.
"We’ve had reports of people who felt it out in the Leslyville area, certainly in the Arbutus area," Laura Button from the Town of Rocky Mountain House told CTV News Edmonton.
According to Rocky Mountain House's sewer and water supervisor, no damage was done to any of the town's sewage infrastructure.
"Nothing exciting happened, nothing broke," Doug Fraser said.
The tremors didn’t trigger any system alarms at the water treatment plant, and so far no one has reported any private property damage either.
"We had no complications whatsoever," Rocky Mountain House water treatment plant manager Gary Lewsaw told CTV News Edmonton.
One University of Alberta geo-physicist told CTV News Edmonton that seismic activity in central Alberta has increased in the past decade. According to Jeff Gu, that’s worth studying.
"Some of it was linked to gas production, oil production, and some of them were natural, and then there was an earthquake that was linked to wastewater disposal," Gu said.
Alberta’s energy regulator said Wednesday's earthquake was not connected to wells or drilling.
It pegged the epicentre nine kilometres below the surface, which is typically deeper than human-caused earthquakes.
Rocky Mountain House is approximately 139 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.