2011 Virginia earthquake
The USGS found that the farthest landslide from the 2011 Virginia earthquake was from the epicenter. This is by far the greatest landslide distance recorded from any other earthquake of similar magnitude. Previous studies of worldwide earthquakes indicated that landslides occurred no farther than from the epicenter of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. The study suggested that the added information about East Coast earthquakes may prompt a revision of equations that predict ground shaking. "What makes this new study so unique is that it provides direct observational evidence from the largest earthquake to occur in more than 100 years in the eastern U.S. Now that we know more about the power of East Coast earthquakes, equations that predict ground shaking might need to be revised."
Eastern Ontario
The Eastern Ontario region has a history of earthquakes. Several faults run through the region, and the area is near both the Western Quebec Seismic Zone and the Saint Lawrence rift system. Minor earthquakes occur in the region regularly, most of them too weak to be felt by people. More severe earthquakes, around 5–6 on the Richter magnitude scale, occur every sixty years, on average. The most recent of the earthquakes occurred in 2010. This earthquake, known as the 2010 Central Canada earthquake although it caused some power outages and minor damage to older buildings, did not cause significant damage because buildings in the area are required to be earthquake resistant by government regulations. The earthquake caused significant panic amongst the population, though: office buildings were evacuated in Ottawa, transit routes shut down, and in the minutes after the quake, cell phone service was down, as it was overloaded with calls made by panicked people attempting to talk to friends and relatives. Although the reaction was ridiculed by many, if buildings in the area were not designed to be earthquake-resistant, it would have caused significant damage. A similar earthquake in 1944 caused significant damage to buildings in Cornwall, as it was before earthquake-resistant architecture became common.