Earthquake Early Warning - Blog
2022-03-24: Japanese EEW system halts train in Tohoku earthquake
Last week, while riding the Tohoku Shinkansen through Shiroishi, Japan, Yohei Nakagawa and other passengers received an earthquake alert on their smartphones. The train had also received an EEW alert and automatically made an emergency stop. Five seconds later, strong shaking from the earthquake arrived, swaying the train violently. Only a minor derailment occurred, however, and no crew or passengers were injured. It could have been far worse, had the train not stopped. The EEW alert and the protective actions taken likely saved lives, and prevented serious injuries and damage. [image and story courtesy of The Asahi Shimbun]
Once Canada's national EEW system is launched in 2024, we look forward to ways in which EEW alerts might be used to reduce damage, impacts to operations, and injuries, through triggering of automated response technologies. To begin this process, earlier this month NRCan met with representatives from the Transportation and Health sectors in British Columbia, to introduce them to the EEW programme and discuss ways in which EEW alerts could be used to make their operations safer. These sessions will also inform future workshops with the various critical infrastructure sectors in Canada.
2021.11.25: Saguenay earthquake
On this day in 1988, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Saguenay region in Quebec, north of Quebec City. Strong shaking was reported in Quebec City and moderate shaking in Montreal. The earthquake was felt as far away as Halifax, Charlottetown, New York and Detroit. Thankfully, the earthquake caused no structural damage and no lives were lost, but there were numerous reports of falling debris (such as bricks and building contents) that can easily cause injury. Additionally, the shaking caused slumping and landslides in the region, impacting rail lines.
Once the EEW system is operational, a repeat of the Saguenay earthquake would generate alerts of 29 seconds for Quebec City and 84 for Montreal.
2021-10-21: Pre-ShakeOut 3 - ShakeOut earthquake drill
Today Canada joins millions of people around the world in the annual ShakeOut earthquake drill. By practicing the safest response to earthquake shaking or the receipt of an Earthquake Early Warning alert, you will create muscle memory that should take you to a safe space during an earthquake. If you don’t manage to do practice Drop, Cover, and Hold on today, you can do it any time – at work and at home.
2021-10-18: Pre-ShakeOut 2 - How to respond if you are outside during an earthquake
If you are outside during an earthquake or when you receive an Earthquake Early Warning alert, move to a safe space, away from old, masonry buildings or those with a lot of glass, then Drop to the ground and Cover your head and neck with your arms. If you are driving, Slow down, Pull over somewhere safe (away from older buildings and overpasses), turn on your hazard lights, and Stay inside your vehicle until the shaking has stopped. In both situations, watch for hazards, such as downed electrical lines and building components which look damaged or otherwise unsafe.
See other ShakeOut Fact Sheets
for how to respond in a variety of situations.
2021-10-12: Pre-ShakeOut 1 - How to respond if you are inside during an earthquake
If you are inside and feel strong shaking or receive an Earthquake Early Warning alert:
- Drop to the floor, before the earthquake causes you to fall;
- Take Cover under a piece of sturdy furniture, such as a table, desk or chair; if you cannot take cover in the room you are in, move to an interior corner (away from windows, exterior walls, or other hazards) and crouch down, covering you head and neck; and
- Hold on to whatever you are under or near.
Before an earthquake it is a good idea to walk around your home and to determine where you might shelter in each room, and practice getting into that space. By doing so, you are creating muscle memory. Brains don’t function well under stress, such as when experiencing a strong earthquake, and the instinct to run outside may take over. This is a dangerous response – while running, you are likely to fall or have objects fall on you, and, as you exit a building, you are in a hazardous area as debris tends to fall along the outsides of buildings. It is best to Drop. Cover, and Hold on until the shaking has stopped, then carefully leave your building. It is also a good idea to count while you are sheltered – the longer the shaking lasts, the bigger the earthquake’s size.
2021-10-08: Testing Earthquake Early Warning station sensors
In preparation for deployment to Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) stations in western and eastern Canada, seismic equipment is first tested and calibrated in our laboratory in eastern Ottawa. Our technical team is able to set up 36 sensors at a time. All sensors are configured identically, they operate overnight, and the data are downloaded to the computer (at left) for assessment. It is key that the sensors perform nearly identically for reliable analysis of earthquakes by the EEW system. Any sensors which don’t meet our EEW performance criteria will be returned to the supplier for repair.
2021-09-07: First land agreement with major EEW host
Natural Resources Canada has completed the first major land agreement for the Earthquake Early Warning network, with BC Ferries. Several BC Ferries’ terminals, critical infrastructure that Canadian’s rely on, will host EEW sensor stations. Located in key areas around the Straits of Georgia, these sites ensure the EEW network is well-distributed for optimal alerting for potentially harmful earthquakes. This agreement marks the first of several with major station hosts to ensure the success of the EEW system in Canada.
2021-08-22: Anniversary of M8.1 earthquake in Haida Gwaii (1949)
The magnitude 8.1 earthquake in 1949 was the largest instrumentally-recorded earthquake in Canadian history. It ruptured roughly 490km of the Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF), along Haida Gwaii’s west coast. The QCF is a major fault boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, similar to the San Andreas Fault in California. This earthquake caused such strong shaking that cows were knocked off their feet and most chimneys on the archipelago were toppled. One man described being thrown to the ground as he watched the fields of his farm undulate. The earthquake was felt as far away as the Rocky Mountains, southern Yukon Territory and northern Washington State.
Had Canada’s Earthquake Early Warning system been operational then, towns on Haida Gwaii would have received between 5 and 14 seconds of warning, depending on their distance from the earthquake; Queen Charlotte and Masset would have both had 9 seconds of warning (see table below). Mainland towns of Prince Rupert, Kitimat and Bella Bella would have had 43 to 91 seconds of warning.
2021-07-22: Second constract to supply EEW seismic sensors awarded to Güralp
Natural Resources Canada is pleased to announce the second contract to provide seismic sensors and installation services for the Earthquake Early Warning system, which has been issued to Güralp Systems Limited. We will soon be acquiring their Fortimus strong motion accelerograph – fittingly for Canada, it looks somewhat like a hockey puck. This device will record ground motions from potentially harmful earthquakes, then transmit the data to our processing centres from where EEW alerts will be disseminated.