Natural Earthquakes

Image
natural-earthquakes-360px
Natural earthquakes occur along fault planes when stress builds up within the rocks and then the tension is released with movement along the fault.

Naturally Occurring Seismic Events

Natural earthquakes occur when tectonic motion builds up stress in the ground and then the stress is rapidly released by sudden rupture of geological faults, causing the ground to shake. Alberta is considered seismically quiet because it has very few natural earthquakes and those earthquakes are small to moderate in size compared to other seismically active areas in the world. There are several sources for natural earthquakes in Alberta, including the Rocky Mountains, the Foothills, and the Peace River Arch. Although recorded earthquakes have increased in Alberta since the 1960s, it is due to the increasing number of installed seismic stations and increasing human-activity induced earthquakes, rather than an increase in natural earthquakes. We catalogue both natural and human-activity induced earthquakes throughout the province.

More About Natural Earthquakes