PITTSBURGH,None — A magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck at the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, shaking homes and businesses from Canada's capital in Ottawa on south to West Virginia.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The midday quake was felt in Canada and in a number of U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Photos In, Around Pittsburgh Raw Video: Earthquake Felt In Lawrence County People In Lawrence Co. Talk About Feeling Earthquake News Conference In Ottawa Interrupted By Earthquake
Lawrence County 911 dispatchers told Channel 11 they were flooded with calls from local residents who reported they felt the earthquake.
"The building started to shake. You could hear crackling in the walls so we got up. Everyone was basically leaving their office because everyone basically felt the same thing," said Judy Thompson in New Castle.
Dozens of calls came into the Channel 11 newsroom as well, from viewers who said they felt the quake everywhere from New Castle to Pittsburgh.
Buildings in Pittsburgh, including on the South Side, were evacuated as a precaution. Some people left their workplaces on their own.
VIDEO: Southside Building Evacuated After Quake
"I was sitting at my desk. All the sudden, I felt like I was getting sick from not eating lunch. My chair started moving. Some equipment in my office started moving. There was a big mirror beside me, and it started shifting," said Kevin Sieg who was evacuated from a building in the South Side.
Did you experience aftershock from the earthquake? Comment on our message board below and tell us where you are located. Plus, upload pictures and video of damage on our iWitness11 page.
The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of about 12 miles (19.2 kilometers). The agency initially said the quake had a 5.5 magnitude, but later reduced it to a magnitude-5.0.
The quake occurred at 1:41 p.m. EDT, the USGS said.
The quake came just ahead of the weekend summit of G-20 and G-8 world leaders in Toronto and Huntsville, Ontario.
The tremors, which lasted about 30 seconds, rattled buildings in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as government offices across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec.
Several buildings in Toronto and the Ottawa region were evacuated.
Chris Cornell, 46, who works in downtown Toronto, said desks and furniture shook as he sat at his desk in a finance office.
Shirley Pelletier, 27, said a prolonged tremor shook bookshelves and caused paintings on walls to shake in her office just outside downtown Toronto.
The USGS said the two largest quakes in western Quebec occurred in 1935 at magnitude-6.1 and in 1732 at a magnitude of 6.2, where it caused significant damage in Montreal.
The agency said earthquakes cause significant damage in the region about once a decade. Smaller earthquakes are felt three or four times a year.
Read what residents are saying about the earthquake in other areas, including Buffalo, Erie, Utica and Cincinnati.
The above image was sent to WPXI from the University of Pittsburgh's Seismic Station located at Allegheny Observatory.
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