Small 4.3 magnitude earthquake detected in western Quebec

March 16, 2011

20110316-110924-896.html

By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – 36 minutes ago

MONTREAL - A minor earthquake, with an estimated 4.7 magnitude, has been

detected in western Quebec.

Natural Resources Canada says the quake was centered in Lachute, Que., between

Ottawa and Montreal, and struck this afternoon about 1:36 p.m.

The ground started shaking and stopped after about 10 seconds.

The quake was felt as far away as the western suburbs of Montreal, in Cornwall,

Ont., and by some people in Ottawa.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

It appeared the one casualty was the federal website intended to keep Canadians

informed about earthquakes.

Last time there was a temblor in the region, last June, it froze the website for

Earthquakes Canada.

The federal site was brought to its knees again Wednesday. Many visitors seeking

information were greeted by blank screens and the site was occasionally working,

but only intermittently, after 2 p.m.

The bugs brought back memories of last year's 5.0 temblor, where the federal

site was paralyzed by demand.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press, under Access to Information, revealed

that staffers were scrambling for more than two hours to find a temporary

solution and it took four hours before the whole site was back in full working

order.

At the time, an official with Natural Resources Canada admitted the crash raised

questions about how well prepared the agency is to communicate with Canadians

online in the event of a sudden natural disaster such as an earthquake or

tsunami.

As it did last year, the U.S. Geological Survey's website continued running

Wednesday and provided information about the quake.

The U.S. agency pegged the magnitude at 3.7.

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