Quake reported in eastern Canada

By CNN Staff
updated 11:17 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The location was in Quebec, near Ontario
An aftershock was recorded
There was "a lot of shaking," town official says

(CNN) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 struck eastern Canada on Friday morning, the government said.

The quake was centered about 13 miles from Shawville, Quebec, near the Ontario border.

Authorities say it is unlikely the quake, which occurred at 9:43 a.m., caused significant damage. An aftershock was recorded as well.

"We had a lot of shaking, that's for sure," said Kim Bulmer, town clerk of nearby Renfrew, Ontario. "But I just checked with the public works director and there does not seem to be any reports of damage so far."

Eastern Canada has a relatively low rate of earthquake activity, according to the Natural Resources Canada agency, but there have been large earthquakes before, with about four exceeding a magnitude 4 per year.

"A decade will, on average, include three events greater than magnitude 5," the agency said.

There were reports that the Friday quake was felt in Toronto, more than 260 miles away.

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