A number of Leamington and Kingsville residents may have felt the tremors over the weekend, but it was no earthquake.
Earthquake Canada confirmed there was no seismological activity in the area, but Tim Byrne, the director of watershed management services at the Essex Conservation Authority, has an answer -- ice cracking on Lake Erie.
Byrne says after the deep cold Windsor-Essex experienced after Christmas, and the fast warm-up last week, the ice was under a lot of pressure.
"There is runoff that is leaving the mainland... much warmer than the water that is in the Great Lakes system. That water that gets out and works its way in and over top of the ice, causing the ice to lift. It'll shear or shatter."
When the ice is connected to the shoreline, a sandbar, even a dock or breakwall, the shockwave will be transmitted through the ground into any nearby buildings. Byrne says that's why some people reported plates rattling in the cupboards.
And it was not just felt in the southern end of Essex County. Byrne says tremors were reported on the U.S. side of the lake too.
As for whether all that shaking could damage the foundation of buildings, Byrne says, "there's every possibility that could occur depending on the condition, the age of the home. There's a low probability because if it's locked in frost conditions, there's no opportunity for anything to move."
However, it could cause some problems in nearby waterways, creating ice jams.
Typically, the temperatures warm up slowly as spring approaches, the ground thaws, and as the ice cracks and melts it, the shockwave is not transmitted to land.
Byrne warns the ice may look stable after it freezes again, but it is not and will not be able to support the weight of a person.
