4.1 magnitude earthquake hits Esterhazy area
August 16, 2019, 5:28 pm
The US Geological Survey reports a 4.1 magnitude earthquake 17 km east of Esterhazy at 8:30 pm Thursday, just before the power went out across the area.
Several people in the Esterhazy and Tantallon areas reported feeling a tremor or feeling their homes shake at the time.
Power was out in Moosomin, Esterhazy, Tantallon, Spy Hill, Whitewood, and surrounding areas for about two hours and has now been restored.
Esterhazy is one of the most active seismic areas in Saskatchewan. About half of the 49 earthquakes registered in Saskatchewan by the federal Geological Survey of Canada since 1985, have happened in the Esterhazy area.
The earthquakes tend to happen along the edge of the Prairie Evaporite formation, which contains Potassium Chloride (Potash), Sodium Chloride (Salt) and other soluble minerals which will dissolve when they come into contact with groundwater. Geologists believe that many of the earthquakes in the area are due to ground settling after dissolution of the soluble minerals underground.
A 4.1 magnitude earthquake is considered a light earthquake, which people may experience as feeling like a large truck passing by, or an explosion near their home.
