Shaken and stirred in Whitehorse

It's described as the strongest temblor to strike the region in recent memory, as Whitehorse and the far tip of Northern British Columbia suffered a 5.6 mag earthquake that rattled a few residents in the morning hours. Originally classified as 6.0 quake, it was later reduced in scale after further investigation.

The earthquake which struck just before 8 am, gave locals a start to their day they won't forget for a while, callers to CKRW in Whitehorse described the quake as a steady rolling affair that lasted about twenty seconds.

The earthquake was listed on both the Earthquakes Canada website and the USGS site.

Canada.com had the report on the days events posted on their website by late afternoon.

Magnitude 5.7 quake shakes northwest tip of B.C., SE Alaska and Yukon

Canadian Press
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

WHITEHORSE (CP) - A moderate earthquake has shaken the northwestern tip of British Columbia, along the Alaska and Yukon borders.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the shaker at 7:49 a.m. (PT) had a magnitude of 5.6 and was centred in a sparsely populated region of B.C., about 100 kilometres southwest of Whitehorse.
The quake, at a depth of about 4.7 kilometres, triggered a flood of phone calls to media outlets by residents reporting a distinct rolling sensation.

News director Ron McFadyen of CKRW Whitehorse says people described the tremor as "the strongest in recent memory," although no damage is reported.

His wife Cathy was in the shower in their basement when she "felt the shower moving and had to put her hands to the side to steady herself."

Wayne Merry of Atlin, B.C., about 100 kilometres to the east of the epicentre, says "it was a long, continuous shake with a quick vibration (lasting) about 20 seconds or so."

© The Canadian Press 2007