A small earthquake shook parts of B.C.’s South Coast, including much of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, early Thursday morning.
Earthquakes Canada says it struck about 19 kilometres northeast of Victoria, in the Haro Strait, just after 4 a.m. at a magnitude of 3.8.
The United States Geological Survey agency says it recorded the quake at a magnitude of 4.
Senior research scientist and seismologist with Natural Resources Canada John Cassidy mention that due to the depth of the quake, people across the region would have felt the same rumble.
“Even people who were right above the earthquake, it was still 55 kilometres away from them. So everyone was quite a ways away from this earthquake because it was so deep,” Cassidy explained.
One caller shared that they were woken up by the quake in their home in North Vancouver.
“It was about a minute ago. It was like a rolling feeling, [I was] obviously still in bed. It was only 4:06 in the morning, but it lasted two seconds, maybe three seconds, and it was significant. Things were shaking in the house, and you could just feel like, almost like a roll,” Adil in Edgemont shared.
“I heard rattling, absolutely. There’s a couple of chandeliers, maybe in the bathroom a few things shook around. I don’t think it’s enough to knock anything over, but that was significant.”
Kelli in Richmond also felt the quake.
“My whole house shook, for probably about two or three seconds,” she explained.
The B.C. government says there are no reports of any injuries and none are expected. The province confirmed there is no risk of a tsunami.
Cassidy believes Thursday’s earthquake was a once-off and not part of a larger string of quakes.
“[It’s] not a part of a cluster. It’s not a part of a sequence that’s been ongoing, like the ones we’ve seen offshore Vancouver Island. It looks like a one-off. The most likely scenario is there won’t be any aftershocks, and this will be it,” he shared.
But, Cassidy reiterates that it is a good reminder to be ready for anything.
“It’s a really good reminder for us to be prepared and check those emergency kits.”
source: News1130 photo: Courtesy USGS
