Series of large earthquakes in northern Alberta felt in Edmonton, Grande Prairie and British Columbia

Potentially three of the largest earthquakes on record in Alberta were reported Tuesday in northern Alberta.

According to Earthquakes Canada, three seismic events were recorded on Tuesday: a magnitude 5.8 earthquake and two magnitude 5.2 earthquakes.

« A series of earthquakes occurred in northwestern Alberta. The largest, an M 5.8 earthquake, was preceded by two M 5.2 earthquakes and followed of several felt events, » reads the Earthquakes Canada website.

Earthquake reports are often revised. The 5.8 quake was previously reported as a 6.0. Still, a 5.8 earthquake would be the largest natural earthquake ever reported in Alberta.

The province’s strongest natural earthquake — a magnitude of 5.4 — occurred in April 2001 near the Alberta-British Columbia border, about 40 km northeast of Dawson Creek, BC.

A report released by Earthquakes Canada indicates the location of a 5.2 earthquake about 29 kilometers east-northeast of the hamlet of Reno, Alberta, which is about 360 kilometers northwest from Edmonton in the Peace River region and 200 kilometers northwest of Dawson Creek, BC

The depth of the earthquake was estimated at four kilometers and it occurred around 4:45 p.m. MT.

A second, larger quake was recorded around 5:55 p.m. Tuesday near Reno. It was reported at magnitude 5.8 and occurred at a depth of two kilometers.

As of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Earthquakes Canada reported no damage from the second quake. The event would have been « strongly felt around », according to the agency’s website. Citizen reports of the quake show it was also felt in Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray as well as other communities in Alberta and northern British Columbia.

Ahead of Tuesday’s earthquakes, at least three other events were recorded in Reno, Alberta. area over the past week – two earthquakes of magnitude 4.1 and one of magnitude 4.5.