Virginia Earthquake felt in Eastern Canada
August 23, 2011
At 13:51 EST a moderate 5.8 earthquake occurred near Mineral, Virginia. While the earthquake was felt in parts of Ontario and Eastern Canada, it had no impact on any of Canada’s major nuclear facilities.
All Canadian nuclear power plants have been designed to withstand potential earthquakes. Both the actual structures that form containment and the systems important to safety have been seismically qualified prior to being granted a licence to operate.
The CNSC is aware that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (PDF) is monitoring an alert at the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia after the plant lost grid power following the quake.
For more information please visit Natural Resources Canada or the US Geological Survey.