3.8 magnitude earthquake strikes near Buffalo; Ontario residents report shaking

Some residents in Niagara Region and western New York were woken up with a rattle on Monday morning after an earthquake struck near Buffalo.

Earthquakes Canada first reported a 4.2 magnitude quake in the Buffalo area around 6:15 a.m. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) later confirmed a 3.8 magnitude earthquake with a three kilometre depth in West Seneca, N.Y., about 12 kilometres southeast of Buffalo.

A seismologist with the USGS told the Associated Press that Monday morning’s event was western New York’s strongest earthquake in at least 40 years.

Social media was buzzing shortly after with users asking online if anyone else felt the same shaking. Videos posted to Twitter showed rattling in people’s homes lasting several seconds.

Several Canadian users reported feeling tremors in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Oakville, and Toronto.

One resident told CityNews it felt like someone was stomping on the roof of his home near Brock University in St. Catharines.

“I was sitting reading the paper and all of a sudden the china started to shake and rattle,” he said. “I thought somebody was walking hard on the roof. It was like a rumble.”

There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries. Earthquakes Canada said no damage would be expected due to the magnitude of the quake.

Small earthquakes are not unusual in upstate New York but are rarely felt as strongly. The earthquake comes on the heels of two record-breaking weather events in the region: A snowstorm that dropped as much as seven feet of snow in November and a blizzard in December that was blamed for 47 deaths.

Hours earlier, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Turkey and Syria, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 1,900 people. There is no connection between the two events, according to the USGS.

With files from The Associated Press