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Two earthquakes shook eastern Ontario and Quebec Friday morning, rattling buildings and nerves as far away as Barrie, Toronto and Waterloo.

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A 5.2 magnitude quake hit about 20 kilometres northeast of Shawville, Que., at 9:43 a.m., according to Earthquakes Canada.

Although the data initially indicated a 4.2 magnitude earthquake also shook Braeside, Ont., 10, Earthquakes Canada updated its report to say there was a 4.1 magnitude aftershock near the Shawville epicentre at 9:53 a.m.

Buildings in Ottawa and Toronto were evacuated, including the offices of the National Post. The quake touched off an eruption of reaction on Twitter as users reported buildings shaking in Ottawa for several seconds.

The epicenter of Friday’s earthquake was about 50 km away from the epicenter of a June 23, 2010 earthquake but smaller in size, said Natural Resources Canada.

The 2010 earthquake was felt as far away as Kentucky and its likely Friday’s quake was felt throughout eastern Ontario, western Quebec and “well into the States,” said Sylvia Hayek, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada.