'Very short, sharp shock': Earthquake hits central Alberta
A 4.6-magnitude earthquake rattled central Alberta Monday morning.
The quake occurred about four kilometres southwest of Red Deer at 5:55 a.m., Earthquakes Canada confirmed in a report on its website.
The 1-km deep quake was "lightly felt" by residents in Red Deer and Sylvan Lake, the report said.
Colleen Jesse was asleep on the couch in her fourth-floor apartment in downtown Red Deer when the quake startled her awake.
"All of a sudden, the couch was shaking and everything is moving in my apartment," she said. "I sit up ... and I'm going, 'Is my apartment falling down?' And I look out the window and there is nothing.
"It was pretty scary."
Jesse said her four-month-old Maltese puppy started barking as the windows began to rattle and shake.
Jesse said it was an unnerving morning. She feels grateful the quake wasn't more powerful.
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"The dog was looking around wondering what was going and he's kind of growling because he was wondering too, why is everything shaking?
"It was pretty frightening, especially on the fourth floor."
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The Geological Survey of Canada has received numerous reports from residents who felt the rumble, said Taimi Mulder, an earthquakes seismologist with the agency.
"People that felt the earthquake said dishes have rattled," Mulder said told CBC News.
"Some people have described it as a truck slamming into the house, so they felt a very short, sharp shock."
It's unlikely the earthquake was powerful enough to cause any damage, Mulder said.
This article was originally published on CBC.ca
