On Monday morning, a minor earthquake rattled through Buffalo and Western New York, alarming locals who are not used to this kind of activity. The US Geological Survey found its epicenter to be east of Buffalo in West Seneca at 6:15am and estimated it was approximately 2 miles underground. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel reported that it was the strongest shaking felt in the area for at least 40 years. People felt it last several seconds and afterword they sought answers on social media. Thankfully, no major damage occurred.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted, “I felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed.” Emergency services officials confirmed the earthquake was felt at least 30 miles away, including Niagara Falls, about 20 miles north of Buffalo.
The 4.2 magnitude earthquake was felt a little in southern Ontario, according to earthquake Canada. In the Buffalo region, two record-breaking weather events recently occurred: a snowstorm that dropped seven feet of snow in November and a blizzard that killed 47 people in December.
There was a rumble in Rochester on May 17, 2003, caused by a magnitude-5.1 quake centered 45 miles northwest of Ottawa, Canada.
