A magnitude 3.4 earthquake, suspected to be mining-induced, was recorded Tuesday near Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. Mosaic confirmed it occurred in an already mined-out area of the K3 mine, with no damage to infrastructure, and kept its operations running.
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded Tuesday morning in southeastern Saskatchewan, near Esterhazy, and was classified by Natural Resources Canada as a "suspected mining-induced incident." The event, at a depth of about one kilometre, occurred shortly after 7:00 local time and was centred about nine kilometres east-northeast of Esterhazy, near the community of Yarbo.
The agency noted that quakes below 3.5 magnitude are usually "recorded on local seismographs, but generally not felt," while those between 3.5 and 5.4 "often are felt, but rarely cause damage." On this occasion, Natural Resources Canada did not identify a specific mine.
Mosaic, a U.S. fertilizer producer that operates three potash properties in the area —K3, southeast of Yarbo, and K1 and K2 north of Yarbo and east of Esterhazy, respectively—, confirmed the episode. In a statement, the company said "a seismic event was felt near (its) Esterhazy operations" and added that it occurred around 7:00 "in a mined-out area of the older workings of the K3 mine."
Mosaic said all its employees at the site are accounted for and that "comprehensive safety checks and inspections have been completed." The company said there was no impact on infrastructure and that operations at Esterhazy are continuing as usual.
The Esterhazy complex, which Mosaic bills as the world's largest potash operation, has a nameplate capacity of 7.8 million tonnes; the K3 shaft runs down to 3,350 feet (1.02 km) below ground. Earthquakes are not unprecedented in the area, though this is the first known event of 2026: Natural Resources Canada documented three mining-induced incidents in the same area in May, August and October 2025, with magnitudes ranging from 3.33 to 3.77.
