Magnitude 4.7 earthquake jolts NW Alberta, northern B.C. Thursday morning
Residents of northwestern Alberta and parts of northern British Columbia received a jolt Thursday morning, as the ground under their feet shook due to a minor earthquake.
According to Earthquakes Canada and the US Geological Survey, the quake took place at 8:41 a.m. MST (7:41 a.m. PST or 10:41 a.m. EST). Although initially reported as magnitude 5.2, it was later revised to magnitude 4.7.
The epicentre of the tremor was located about 62 km northeast of Grande Cache, AB, or 94 km south-southeast of Grande Prairie, and occurred at a depth of just over 7 kilometres.
Based on reports submitted to Earthquakes Canada, the earthquake was felt in Edson, Grande Prairie, Whitecourt, Wosley, Jasper, and Hinton, AB. It was also lightly felt in Prince George, B.C., about 270 kilometres away. As of Thursday afternoon, no reports of damage had been received due to the quake.
That region of the country has experienced more earthquakes in recent years, with nearly a dozen quakes ranging from magnitude 4.8 to 6.1 recorded since 2022.
Earthquakes recorded in northwestern Alberta between January 1 and February 20, 2025. (Earthquakes Canada)
Thursday morning's earthquake was the strongest of 56 tremors recorded in the area so far in 2025.
Like the majority of the other tremors experienced there since the start of the year, Earthquakes Canada has been labelled this as a "suspected industry-related event", due to fracking.