Eastern Canada Earthquakes – Current Map & Latest Activity

No M1.5+ Eastern Canada earthquakes have been recorded in the past 24 hours.

Eastern Canada is quieter than Canada’s Pacific coast, but it isn’t earthquake-free. Earthquakes occur across Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the St. Lawrence Valley and nearby offshore regions.

This page tracks the latest available Eastern Canada earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 and above using USGS earthquake data. The recent earthquake list, interactive map and statistics update when the page loads or refreshes. For a wider view, visit the Canada earthquakes page or see the latest earthquakes worldwide.

Eastern Canada Earthquake Map

Each coloured circle marks an earthquake location. Select a marker to see its magnitude, location, time and depth. Use the buttons on the map to switch between earthquakes recorded during the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.

Eastern Canada earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)

Note: Regional earthquake boundaries are approximate. Earthquakes near the Ontario–United States border, the Great Lakes, northern New York, New England or offshore Atlantic Canada can fall close to more than one regional boundary. Compare nearby activity on the Eastern United States earthquakes page.

About Earthquakes in Eastern Canada

Eastern Canada sits well inside the North American Plate, far from the active plate boundaries responsible for many of the large earthquakes around the Pacific. Most earthquakes here are intraplate earthquakes, meaning they happen within a tectonic plate rather than along its edge.

The crust beneath the region still contains old faults, rift structures and other zones of weakness. Stress building within the plate can reactivate one of these structures, even when the fault has been quiet for a long time. Many of the faults are buried and difficult to identify at the surface, so an earthquake can occur in a place that doesn’t have an obvious visible fault line.

Earthquake activity isn’t spread evenly across the region. Quebec contains several of eastern Canada’s best-known seismic zones, but earthquakes are also recorded in Ontario, New Brunswick, the other Atlantic provinces and offshore south of Newfoundland. Earthquakes Canada divides the east into several zones based on where earthquakes have historically clustered and where scientists believe the activity has a broadly shared cause.

Where Do Earthquakes Happen in Eastern Canada?

Several seismic zones account for much of the region’s known earthquake activity. Some produce frequent small earthquakes, while others are remembered for much larger historical events.

• Charlevoix–Kamouraska Seismic Zone: Located along the St. Lawrence River roughly 100 kilometres downstream from Quebec City, this is the most seismically active part of eastern Canada. Most earthquakes occur beneath or near the river between Charlevoix on the north shore and Kamouraska on the south shore. The zone includes the area around Baie-Saint-Paul, La Malbaie and La Pocatière.
• Western Quebec Seismic Zone: This broad zone includes parts of western Quebec and eastern Ontario, including the Ottawa–Gatineau region and areas extending towards Montreal. It has produced several widely felt earthquakes and sits close to major population centres.
• Lower St. Lawrence Seismic Zone: This zone follows part of the St. Lawrence estuary between the Quebec North Shore and the Lower St. Lawrence region. Its earthquakes are generally smaller than the largest Charlevoix events, although earthquakes above magnitude 5 have occurred.
• Southern Great Lakes: Southern Ontario and the Great Lakes region experience occasional small to moderate earthquakes. Events close to the international border can be felt in both Canada and the United States.
• Northern Appalachians: This region includes much of New Brunswick and nearby parts of Quebec, Nova Scotia, Maine and the wider Appalachian area. The 1982 Miramichi earthquake sequence showed that stronger earthquakes can occur in the Maritimes.
• Laurentian Slope and offshore Newfoundland: Offshore earthquake activity occurs along the continental margin south of Newfoundland. This area includes the source of the damaging 1929 Grand Banks earthquake and tsunami.

Natural Resources Canada provides more detail about the earthquake zones of Eastern Canada, including Charlevoix–Kamouraska and the Lower St. Lawrence.

The Charlevoix–Kamouraska Seismic Zone

Charlevoix deserves special attention because it combines frequent present-day activity with a history of much larger earthquakes. Earthquakes Canada identifies it as the most active seismic region in eastern Canada and the area of highest seismic hazard in continental eastern Canada.

The active zone is roughly 30 kilometres wide and 85 kilometres long, following the St. Lawrence River around Baie-Saint-Paul, La Malbaie and La Pocatière. A local network of seismic stations detects more than 200 earthquakes in the area each year. Most are far too small to cause damage and many aren’t felt at all.

Historically, however, the zone has experienced at least five earthquakes estimated at magnitude 6 or greater. These occurred in 1663, 1791, 1860, 1870 and 1925. The earlier magnitudes are estimates because the earthquakes happened before modern instruments. Scientists reconstructed their likely size and location using written descriptions of shaking, damage and the area over which they were felt.

The estimated magnitude 7 Charlevoix earthquake of 1663 was felt across much of eastern North America and triggered numerous landslides along rivers in Quebec. The exact magnitude and epicentre remain uncertain, but the historical accounts make clear that this was a major regional earthquake.

Why Eastern Canadian Earthquakes Can Be Felt So Far Away

A moderate earthquake in Quebec or Ontario can sometimes be felt hundreds of kilometres from its epicentre. That can be surprising when the reported magnitude doesn’t seem especially high.

Much of eastern North America is underlain by older, colder and more continuous rock than the geologically fractured crust found in many parts of western North America. Seismic energy can travel efficiently through this rock, allowing shaking to spread across a much wider area.

This doesn’t mean the shaking is equally strong everywhere. Distance, depth, the direction in which energy travels and local ground conditions all affect what people feel. Soft sediment in river valleys and lowlands can amplify shaking compared with nearby bedrock. Buildings on different types of ground can therefore respond differently even when they’re a similar distance from the earthquake.

The reported earthquake magnitude measures the size of the event at its source. It doesn’t, by itself, tell you exactly how strongly the ground shook in every nearby community.

Notable Eastern Canada Earthquakes

Eastern Canada has a long earthquake record, although the details of older events are less certain because they occurred before seismographs were available. These are some of the region’s most important known earthquakes.

• 1663 Charlevoix earthquake, estimated M7: A major historical earthquake felt across much of eastern North America. It triggered landslides along the St. Lawrence, Saguenay, Saint-Maurice and other river valleys.
• 1925 Charlevoix–Kamouraska earthquake, approximately M6.2: This earthquake was felt across a large part of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It was the first of the major historical Charlevoix earthquakes to be recorded by seismographs.
• 1929 Grand Banks earthquake, M7.2: This offshore earthquake occurred south of Newfoundland and triggered a submarine landslide and tsunami. The tsunami struck the Burin Peninsula and caused Canada’s largest documented loss of life directly associated with an earthquake. Read the Earthquakes Canada Grand Banks summary.
• 1935 Timiskaming earthquake, M6.1: Centred near the Ontario–Quebec border, this earthquake was felt over a wide area and caused some damage, including fallen chimneys and a railway embankment failure.
• 1944 Cornwall–Massena earthquake, M5.8: This border-region earthquake caused damage in Cornwall, Ontario, and Massena, New York. Earthquakes Canada reports that approximately 2,000 chimneys were damaged in Cornwall. See the official event summary.
• 1982 Miramichi earthquake, M5.7: A strong earthquake in north-central New Brunswick was followed several hours later by a magnitude 5.1 shock and then by a lengthy aftershock sequence. It was the largest earthquake to affect the Maritimes since 1929. Read about the Miramichi earthquake sequence.
• 1988 Saguenay earthquake, M5.9: Located south of Chicoutimi and north of the main Charlevoix zone, this earthquake was felt across a huge part of eastern North America. It caused damage to masonry, roads, slopes and railway embankments but no earthquake-related loss of life. See the Earthquakes Canada Saguenay report.

Earthquake Risk in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada

Earthquake risk depends on more than how often earthquakes happen. A moderate earthquake close to a city can matter more than a larger event in an isolated area. Depth, distance, local soil, building design and the condition of bridges, roads and utilities all affect the result.

Southern Quebec and eastern Ontario contain several large population centres, including Montreal, Ottawa and Gatineau. Parts of these cities are built over sediment, clay or other softer material that can respond differently from solid bedrock. Older brick and masonry buildings can also be more vulnerable to strong shaking than structures designed under newer building codes.

Atlantic Canada has different concerns. New Brunswick has the earthquake history of the northern Appalachians and Miramichi region, while Newfoundland also faces an offshore earthquake and tsunami hazard. Most earthquakes won’t cause a tsunami, but the 1929 Grand Banks disaster showed that a strong offshore earthquake can trigger an underwater landslide capable of producing one.

How Eastern Canada Earthquakes Are Monitored

Earthquakes in Canada are monitored by Natural Resources Canada through the Canadian National Seismograph Network and regional groups of seismic stations. These instruments detect ground movement, help calculate an earthquake’s location and magnitude, and allow scientists to study active seismic zones over time.

The Charlevoix region has its own dense local network because of its frequent earthquake activity and history of larger events. Information from these instruments improves estimates of earthquake depth, fault behaviour and regional seismic hazard.

Canada’s Earthquake Early Warning system began operating in Quebec and Ontario in autumn 2025. It doesn’t predict earthquakes. Instead, it detects an earthquake after it starts and can provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning before stronger shaking reaches some locations.

What to Do During an Earthquake

If you feel earthquake shaking, Drop, Cover and Hold On. Drop to your hands and knees, take cover under a sturdy table or desk if one is close, and hold on until the shaking stops. If there’s no table nearby, protect your head and neck and stay away from windows, glass and objects that could fall.

Don’t run outside while the ground is shaking. Falling glass, bricks, signs and building materials can make the area immediately outside a building particularly dangerous. After the shaking stops, check for injuries and damage and be prepared for possible aftershocks.

For more information, read our complete earthquake safety guide and earthquake preparedness checklist.

Related Earthquake Maps

View the broader region:
Canada Earthquakes | North America Earthquakes

Compare nearby activity:
Eastern United States Earthquakes | Recent Earthquakes Worldwide

The live earthquake information on this page comes from the U.S. Geological Survey. Historical and regional background information is based primarily on records published by Earthquakes Canada.