Illinois earthquake rattles southern Ontario

KITCHENER, Ont. -- An earthquake that started out in eastern Illinois was felt by residents in southern Ontario early this morning.

"For us it's a fairly large event," said Sylvia Hayek, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa.

She said the earthquake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, occurred along the border of the New Madrid Seismic zone, which covers several states and which "has certainly seen larger events in the past."

"But, in terms of the last 20 years, there wouldn't have been that many events of this size," she said. "In fact, it might be one of the largest."

In southern Ontario, particularly in the Kitchener area, residents felt shaking for several seconds, which she said is significant considering the quake originated in an area just northeast of Belmont, Ill. which is several hundred kilometres from southern Ontario.

She said there no damage or injuries have been reported.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=455436