Seismicity in Our Prairie Province

Alberta experiences relatively few earthquakes, particularly when compared with areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The earthquakes in Alberta are minor to moderate, and, to our knowledge, no one has recorded damage from an earthquake in Alberta. The largest magnitude earthquake documented in Alberta was a natural event, local magnitude (ML) 5.4, near the Alberta–British Columbia border, 100 km northwest of Grande Prairie (April 2001). The frequency of earthquakes in the province began increasing in 2011, mostly due to human-activity induced earthquakes related to oil and gas exploration and production such as hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal.

 

 
 
 
 

Alberta’s Earthquake Dashboard

The dashboard provides information relating to earthquakes in Alberta.

More Details
 
 
 

Human-activity Induced Earthquakes

Many earthquakes in Alberta are triggered by human activities.

More Details
 
 
 
 

Naturally Occurring Earthquakes

Large, naturally occurring earthquakes are very rare in Alberta.

More Details
 
 
 

Reporting an Earthquake You Felt

Did you feel an earthquake in Alberta? Report the event here!

More Details
 
 
 
 

Annual Seismic Hazard Mapping

Evolution of Alberta’s annual seismic hazard since 2011.

More Details
 
 
 

Earthquake Monitoring Network

Our network continuously records and transmits seismic data for analysis.

More Details

 

 

 

Related Publications

View our publications related to earthquakes.