EARTHQUAKE: 3.3 tremblor strikes near Creighton mine

ONTARIO – The city of Sudbury was shaken by a mild earthquake and aftershock on Sunday afternoon. The quake, with a magnitude of 3.3, was recorded at 5:37 pm followed by a 3.2 magnitude aftershock at 5:49, said the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Natural Resources Canada also recorded the events, putting the first at a 3.1 magnitude and the second at 2.3. Click here to visit the Earthquakes Canada site. The epicentre of the quake was 30 km southeast of Sudbury, about 200 metres north of Vale’s Creighton nickel-copper mine in Lively. The shaking occurred during a shift change at the mine, and operations were temporarily halted as a safety precaution. Mining resumed with the Monday morning shift. No damage was reported at either the mine or local structures. Whether or not this latest earthquake was caused by mining activity is a moot point. Vale uses special blast detonators to minimize vibration and backfills voids when possible. It also has seismic monitoring equipment installed underground and monitored constantly.