'Did a tree fall?': Londoners recall Sunday night earthquake

Measuring a 4.3 on the Richter Scale, a small earthquake rattled residents in southwestern Ontario on Sunday night. 

According to Earthquakes Canada, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake was felt in St. Thomas, Ont. just after 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.

“It never occurred to me that it was an earthquake. I just thought, ‘Did a tree fall?’” said Carol Dyck, a London resident who felt the earthquake while watching TV in her basement.”

“I thought why is the ground shaking right now?” she added.

The earthquake was felt amongst some residents in southwestern Ontario, but Stephen Crane, research scientist with Natural Resources Canada said it was widely spread.

“We have gotten reports as far away as Ajax, Ontario and Orangeville as well,” he said.

The earthquake hit at a depth of five kilometres, and at approximately 62 kilometres east-northeast of Cleveland, OH, and 184 kilometres east-southeast of Detroit, Mich.

“When an earthquake does occur, if you start to feel the shaking, your immediate action should be to take personal protective action. Generally for most people it’s to drop, cover and hold on,” said Crane.

So far there have been no reported injuries, as Crane explained that magnitudes below five are less severe.

“To be honest I felt it...the earthquake at home yesterday in London on my second floor,” said Dr. Robert Shcherbakov, graduate chair and associate professor at Western University’s Department of Earth Sciences.

Shcherbakov explained that, “There was reported earthquakes south east in Ohio, and they are linked to hydraulic fracturing because they have some hydraulic fracturing operations,” which is a process used to recover oil and natural gas that is trapped in rock formations. 

— With files from CTV News London's Tammy Heisel