“I feel the ground moving under my feet…” – Focus on your hometown

The change of shoreline in MacDonald Inlet was a result of the March earthquake. Photography by Valerie Crowe.

Rainy Lake – “I feel

“The earth is moving beneath my feet…” Remember those words from Carole King's 1971 popular song?

This may seem like a strange topic considering where we live, but I'd like to talk about earthquakes. Here are some facts about earthquakes, just to set the stage: The longest earthquake in the world was in Sumatra, lasting for about 32 years. It was considered a slow slide event, and was not felt until 1861 when an 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred.

Most earthquakes last only a couple of seconds, but major earthquakes can last from 45 to 90 seconds. Every year there are approximately 500,000 detectable earthquakes.

The scale used to measure the strength of an earthquake is called the Richter scale; It measures the energy of an earthquake. The scale ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest. (Each level is 10 times stronger than the previous level).

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the Richter scale are considered small. Those measuring 5 or 6 are considered moderate. Those measuring 7 are considered major, those measuring 8 or 9 are considered great, and finally, the highest reading on the Richter scale is 10. There has never been an earthquake measuring this high. It would be disastrous.

The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile in 1960, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes usually occur without or without warning. Earthquakes that cause damage usually score 5.0 or higher on the Richter scale.

You may be asking yourself: “How do I stay safe during an earthquake if I'm inside?”

• Continue until the shaking stops,

• Don't run, get down on your hands and knees,

• Stay away from windows and glass objects

• Take cover under something strong. If you're outside, the easiest way to stay safe is to be aware of your surroundings.

Quick geology lesson. The Earth consists of four layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The mantle is about 1,800 miles thick, and the crust is three to five miles thick. The Earth's outer surface is divided into parts called tectonic plates. They fit together like puzzle pieces that float like rafts.

Plates are constantly moving away from, toward, or behind each other. Continents are also part of these plates, and they move as well. Tectonic plates slide under or against each other, and sometimes get stuck. An earthquake occurs when stresses caused by the movement of tectonic plates are released. This is what makes the earth shake.

Anatomy of an earthquake:

• Epicenter = the point in the Earth where earthquake rupture begins,

• Epicenter = the point on the Earth's surface directly above the epicenter, and

• Fault = a break in the rocks that make up the Earth's crust.

Just because the earthquake ends, i.e. the shaking of the Earth's surface, does not mean that the seismic event has ended. Often there are aftershocks. These are smaller earthquakes that are felt after a larger earthquake located within the same fault system. Aftershocks may vary in number and duration. There may be hundreds of aftershocks and they may occur over several days, weeks, months or years after the main earthquake.

Aftershocks are not the only events that occur after an earthquake. We've all seen the news of an earthquake and then a tsunami (also known as an ocean wave) making landfall. An indication that a tsunami is about to occur is when water pulls away from shore faster and farther than normal tides and exposes the ocean floor and coral reefs.

Another indicator of a tsunami may be a loud roaring sound. People who lived through the tsunami reported that it sounded like a jet engine. These waves can travel at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour. When a tsunami approaches, sirens may sound to warn people to stay away from the beach and stay away from the flood area.

You may be wondering what this has to do with anything in northern Minnesota. Let me tell you. On January 6, 2024, at approximately 5:45 AM CST, an earthquake occurred at Rainy Lake. It had a magnitude of 1.9 on the Richter scale and was a very shallow 3.1 miles deep. The closest city to the quake was Fort Frances, Ontario, the sister city of International Falls.

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 1.6 occurred on March 22, 2024 at 3:47 AM and was 1.2 miles deep. The seismic station that recorded these earthquakes is located in Ely, 94 miles from where the earthquake occurred.

Much to my surprise, there is a fault line — the Quetico Fault — running east to west at McDonald Inlet on Rainey Lake. If this field sounds familiar, it's because I've mentioned it several times in my previous writings. The Macdonald Entrance is where my family's cabin is located. Recent earthquakes on the Quetico Fault measured at McDonald Inlet on Rainy Lake were very small; So small that people don't feel it.

There is an average (data preserved from 1900 to present) 7.8 earthquakes in this region every year. According to www.volcanodiscovery.com, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher in this area.

When I asked my local science teacher at International Falls High School, Christopher Hemstad of McDonald Inlet, for information about recent earthquakes, he gave me a very detailed explanation about the Quetico Fault Zone.

He went on to say: “The Quetico Rift Zone is a major fault line extending from the Seine-Lake Rainfall Rift Zone (RLSRFZ). The RLSRFZ was the subduction zone 2.6 billion years ago where the oceanic crust of the Quetico Ocean collided and subducted beneath the continental crust of the Wabigon Terrane in the Upper Province ( More commonly known as the Canadian Shield).

“The enormous pressures, and the oblique-angle collision, created right-lateral movement on the RLSRFZ, and also produced right-lateral faulting in other major structures, such as the Quetico Fault. Since both faults were active simultaneously, they merged to form what is called a zone Connecting the two fault traces, this was an intense shear zone known to geologists as the “Rainy Lake Connecting Zone.”

Earthquakes happen every day all over the world, even in places you don't expect them to happen. It's just another amazing event by Mother Nature.

Callie Cantos lives in International Falls. She has been a longtime photo and story contributor to HTF and now writes The Muddy Compass column, which is published monthly.

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