Vale confirms seismic activity at mine prior to Sudbury earthquake

Vale confirms seismic activity at two Sudbury mines on the weekend with Earthquakes Canada recording a 2.8-magnitude earthquake on Sunday afternoon.

With all of the mining activity in the Sudbury area, residents will occasionally experience seismic activity.

The most recent earthquake happened at 2:17 p.m. Jan. 22 about 22 kilometres northeast of the city, Earthquakes Canada said.

"We can confirm that a number of seismic events occurred at Creighton Mine from 11:55 am to 12:30 pm Saturday ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 in magnitude. Seismicity was also detected at Garson Mine on Sunday at roughly 2:17 PM, measuring 3.1 in magnitude," Jeffrey Lewis told CTV News in an email.

"No one was injured during the events and we immediately implemented our internal seismic response protocol to ensure the safety of our workforce. Operations will ramp up following inspection and as seismicity returns to background levels."

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Of the 180 community reports on the intensity of the earthquake, most recorded it as weak and light shaking with no damage.

It has been about seven months since the last time the Nickel City felt an earthquake when a 3.1-magnitude mining-related quake shook the area 13 km northeast of the city at Vale's Garson Mine at a depth of 1.5 kilometres.

"Seismicity can occur as part of mining, especially at significant depths. Our emergency response processes are in place to ensure rigorous safety protocols are followed when seismic events occur," Lewis said.

"Residents with questions or concerns may call Vale’s Community Concerns Line at 705-222-VALE."