Minor earthquake recorded near Cardston

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake was reported north and west of Cardston, near the Alberta - Montana border, on Thursday, December 1 at 9:45 am, to a depth of 4.7 kilometres. The area of disturbance is at the tip of a larger hazard map that spreads south past Helena.

Alberta is in general thought to be a low-risk area for earthquakes.  British Columbia is at much greater risk o major earthquake activity, and the Alberta government's Earthquake Response Plan for British Columbia (ERPBC) reflects that potential.

Magnitude 2.5 or less earthquakes are usually not felt, but can be recorded by seismographs. There are an estimated 900,000 earthquakes of this magnitude worldwide every year.

Sources:
Seismology report
Earthquake Response Plan for British Columbia
Earthquake magnitude scale