Installing an earthquake early warning network in the Ottawa region

Ottawa residents will one day receive three to ten seconds in advance of an earthquake before the ground begins to shake.

Natural Resources Canada has installed seismic sensors in the metropolitan area over the past week that are part of its earthquake early warning network, designed to send notification via electronic devices before a strong shaking from an earthquake begins.

“What it does is it gives people time to drop, cover, and hold, so they can prepare before they start to feel the shaking,” said Chris Boucher, earthquake analyst at Natural Resources Canada.

The Earthquake Early Warning Network will have 400 sensors installed in earthquake-risk areas across Canada, including eastern Ontario. Boucher says seismic sensors will detect the earthquake’s initial waves, which are very weak, and then send out the alert.

TitanSMA seismic equipment in a laboratory at Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa. (Canada Natural Resources)

“So this network of stations, what it does is it digitizes this information quickly, sends it to our data centers, calculates the location and magnitude of this earthquake, and if it reaches a certain vibration threshold, it sends alerts to cell phones,” Boucher told CTVNewsOttawa.ca. “Before secondary waves and strong vibration begin.”

In June 2010, a magnitude 5 earthquake occurred in Val-de-Bois, Coy. It caused damage in parts of western Quebec, while buildings and windows rumbled in downtown Ottawa. Natural Resources Canada says the Earthquake Early Warning Network would have given residents a three- to 10-second warning of the earthquake.

Boucher says that while a three- to 10-second warning might not seem like a lot of time, it’s enough time to make a difference.

“Sometimes those few seconds are all we really need to take those few steps of falling, flying, and holding on,” Boucher said. “One of the things to keep in mind is that these automated alerts will go to critical infrastructure, which can have automated infrastructure in place.”

A three- to 10-second warning would be enough time to divert planes from landing at airports, close bridges and tunnels to traffic and stop surgeries in hospital operating rooms, Boucher says.

“Once the vibration starts, these systems are ready.”

Natural Resources Canada says that the further away you are from the epicenter, the more warning time you have.

Ottawa is part of the Western Quebec Seismic Zone. Boucher says the area sees about 120 earthquakes annually, but only 10 or so people feel them.

Seven seismic sensors have been installed in the Ottawa Gatineau region so far, with plans for 20 more. Natural Resources Canada says Earthquake Early Warning System sensors have been installed in several locations, including Cumberland, Statesville, Mississippi Mills, Kenmore and Carsonby. One was installed in Kingston.

The earthquake warning system network is scheduled to be operational in 2024.

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