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March 6, 2005 Riviere-du-Loup Earthquake
Widely Felt Across Maine
The Geological Survey of Canada reports that an earthquake occurred at 1:17:49 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, March 6, 2005 near Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River about 95 miles northeast of Quebec City. It was felt widely across Maine and as far south as Boston. No damage was reported.
The following parameters have been calculated for the earthquake:
| Magnitude | 5.4 (Nuttli, 1973) |
| Location | 47.75 degrees North latitude, 69.73 West longitude |
| Depth | 13 kilometers |
| This places the epicenter about 63 miles north-northwest of Fort Kent, Maine. | |
Felt Reports
Many people across the northeast region submitted felt reports to the U. S. Geological Survey in Pasadena or to the Maine Geological Survey through their on-line web sites. Shaking in northern Maine was at intensities III to IV (weak to light), and reports from southern Maine were mostly at intensity II, according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. The USGS data are automatically posted by zip code on an intensity map.
The MGS reports are reviewed by a geologist and assigned MMI values. The results are listed by town below.
Reports from 284 people who felt the earthquake in Maine are tabulated below. The columns are as follows:
- Town. Listed alphabetically as reported by the submitter.
- MMI = Modified Mercalli Intensity (given in Roman Numerals). For the U.S. Geological Survey data, these values are determined automatically by an algorithm described at their web site. For the MGS data, these values are assigned by a geologist based on interpretation of information provided in each report.
- USGS = Number of responses received by the U.S. Geological Survey through their web site.
- MGS = Number of responses received by the Maine Geological Survey through their web site.
Data in this list were collected between March 6 and March 8, 2005.
| Town | MMI | USGS | MGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | II | 2 | |
| Anson | IV | 1 | |
| Ashland | IV | 5 | |
| Auburn | III | 2 | 3 |
| Augusta | III | 3 | |
| Augusta | II | 7 | 2 |
| Bangor | III | 1 | |
| Bangor | II | 3 | |
| Bar Harbor | II | 1 | |
| Belfast | III | 1 | |
| Belgrade | III | 1 | |
| Benedicta | V | 1 | |
| Bethel | II | 1 | |
| Biddeford | III | 1 | |
| Bowdoinham | II | 1 | |
| Brewer | III | 5 | |
| Brewer | II | 1 | |
| Bridgton | II | 1 | |
| Brownville | III | 2 | |
| Brunswick | III | 7 | |
| Brunswick | II | 2 | |
| Bryant Pond | II | 1 | |
| Camden | III | 2 | 1 |
| Camden | II | 1 | |
| Cape Elizabeth | II | 1 | |
| Caribou | III | 5 | |
| Columbia Falls | IV | 1 | |
| Cumberland | II | 2 | |
| Detroit | II | 1 | |
| Dexter | III | 1 | |
| Durham | II | 3 | |
| Ellsworth | III | 1 | |
| Fairfield | III | 2 | |
| Falmouth | II | 2 | |
| Farmingdale | III | 2 | |
| Farmington | III | 5 | 1 |
| Fort Fairfield | III | 2 | 1 |
| Fort Kent | IV | 12 | 2 |
| Fort Kent | III | 3 | |
| Frankfort | II | 2 | |
| Freeport | IV | 2 | |
| Frenchville | IV | 1 | |
| Frenchville | III | 1 | |
| Gardiner | III | 5 | |
| Gorham | II | 3 | |
| Grand Isle | II | 2 | |
| Hallowell | IV | 2 | |
| Hallowell | III | 1 | |
| Hampden | III | 2 | |
| Holden | II | 1 | |
| Houlton | II | 2 | |
| Jackman | III | 4 | |
| Kents Hill | III | 1 | |
| Leeds | II | 1 | |
| Lewiston | II | 3 | |
| Lincoln | III | 4 | 1 |
| Lisbon | II | 1 | |
| Littleton | III | 1 | |
| Livermore Falls | IV | 2 | |
| Madawaska | III | 9 | |
| Madison | III | 1 | |
| Manchester | II | 1 | |
| Mapleton | IV | 2 | |
| Mariaville | III | 1 | |
| Mechanic Falls | III | 1 | |
| Millinocket | IV | 3 | 1 |
| Millinocket | III | 1 | |
| Milo | III | 1 | |
| Naples | II | 2 | |
| New Goulcester | II | 1 | |
| Newry | III | 1 | |
| Norridgewock | III | 2 | 2 |
| North Anson | II | 1 | |
| North Monmouth | III | 1 | |
| North Yarmouth | III | 1 | |
| North Yarmouth | II | 5 | |
| Old Town | II | 1 | |
| Orono | III | 4 | |
| Oxford | IV | 2 | |
| Passadumkeag | V | 1 | |
| Patten | II | 1 | |
| Peaks Island | II | 2 | |
| Phillips | III | 1 | |
| Pittsfield | III | 2 | |
| Portland | III | 6 | |
| Portland | II | 4 | 2 |
| Presque Isle | III | 6 | |
| Readfield | III | 4 | |
| Rockland | IV | 2 | |
| Rockport | II | 1 | |
| Rumford | III | 2 | |
| Saco | III | 3 | |
| Saco | II | 1 | |
| Saint Agatha | III | 1 | |
| Saint David | III | 2 | |
| Saint Francis | IV | 4 | |
| Scarborough | II | 2 | |
| Sinclair | II | 1 | |
| Skowhegan | IV | 1 | |
| Smithfield | III | 1 | |
| South China | III | 1 | |
| South Portland | III | 3 | |
| Stockholm | III | 1 | 1 |
| Stratton | II | 1 | |
| Strong | IV | 1 | |
| Topsham | II | 3 | |
| Turner | III | 1 | |
| Van Buren | IV | 4 | |
| Waldoboro | II | 1 | |
| Wallagrass | III | 1 | |
| Wallagrass | II | 7 | |
| Waterville | III | 1 | |
| Waterville | II | 3 | |
| West Paris | III | 1 | |
| Westbrook | III | 1 | |
| Wilton | IV | 1 | |
| Winterport | III | 1 | |
| Winthrop | III | 2 | |
| Woodland | III | 1 | |
| Yarmouth | II | 6 | |
| Totals | 239 | 45 | |
News Reports
The Associated Press produced a brief news release that was picked up by several newspapers in the northeastern U.S. It reported people feeling the earthquake in Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa.
Bangor Daily News, Monday, March 7, 2005, "Quebec quake felt in northern Maine".
Portland Press Herald, Monday, March 7, 2005, "Early morning earthquake felt in northern Maine".
Seismograms
The Canadian Seismic Network's Hourly Seismogram plot for March 6, 2005, 6:00 to 7:00 (UT) shows the earthquake was felt strongly at all seismic stations across the region. The Geological Survey of Canada reports that more than a dozen small aftershocks (magnitude 0.9 to 2.1) were recorded over the next 9 hours.
March 6, 2005 Riviere-du-Loupe Earthquake hourly seismic plot from the Canadian Seismic Network.
Reference
Nuttli, Otto W., 1973: "The Mississippi Valley Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812; Intensities, Ground Motion, and Magnitudes," Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 63, No.1, p. 227-248.
Last updated on April 27, 2012