Earthquake hits Lake Louise area

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook Lake Louise on Monday — specifically 30 km east-northeast of the town site.

The seismic event occurred at 4:39 a.m. local time as reported by various seismic monitoring agencies.

The earthquake, felt by some residents in Banff National Park, prompted discussion on social media, with reports of feeling the ground move. No immediate damage was reported — but the event serves as a reminder of the region's seismic activity.

Earthquakes in the Canadian Rockies are primarily caused by reverse faults in sedimentary rocks, also known as thrust faults.

These occur when one side of the fault is pushed up and over the other side due to compressional forces. In the context of the Canadian Rockies, the faults are associated with ongoing mountain-building processes.

The Canadian Rockies are part of the larger Cordilleran orogenic belt where tectonic forces have been compressing and uplifting the rock layers over millions of years.

The compression leads to the formation of thrust faults where older rock layers are thrust over younger ones.

Earthquakes Canada said that while the Lake Louise earthquake magnitude is considered moderate, quakes of this size can be felt and may cause minor disruptions, but typically do not lead to major structural damage.

Seismologists are monitoring the area for any aftershocks, although none were reported immediately following the event.

The earthquake follows a pattern of seismic activity in the region, with Lake Louise having experienced several smaller quakes over the past month. The last significant earthquake in the area was a 1.3 magnitude event just a day prior.