Earthquakes Canada says a 4.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded Sunday afternoon and public reports poured in from hundreds of kilometres away from the event鈥檚 epicentre.
John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, says people over a 鈥渧ery wide region鈥� of the province have reported feeling the earthquake, which hit just before 3:30 in the afternoon.
Cassidy says the quake was felt by people across northern and central Vancouver Island, and as far away as 琉璃神社, more than 350 kilometres from the quake鈥檚 epicentre.
He says it hit a remote region about 222 kilometres north-northwest of Vancouver.
EARTHQUAKE Mag=4.9 on 17 Dec at 15:23 PST.
鈥� Earthquakes Canada (@CANADAquakes)
Details :
137 km WNW of Pemberton, BC
Many residents across the province took to social media, sharing their experiences on various platforms.
Among them are Comox Valley residents Lia Lavoie-Bartlett and Jessica Labbe.
鈥淚t really wasn鈥檛 much,鈥� Lavoie-Bartlett said. 鈥淢y daughter had fallen asleep on me on the couch and I felt a low rumble. I have felt other earthquakes in the past and this was very mild. I wondered if it was something going on in the lower units of my apartment but then saw the Facebook post!鈥�
鈥淲e were at home and heard our cupboards rattling a bit,鈥� Labbe said. 鈥淚 was sitting down at the time and felt a slight back and forward movement. It was fairly short.鈥�
Cassidy says seismic events in that part of the province are 鈥渞elatively rare,鈥� with the last quake in the area around the same magnitude hitting in 2017. He says Sunday鈥檚 quake wasn鈥檛 a complete surprise since the province鈥檚 coastal areas are an active earthquake zone, but the largest and most frequent earthquakes occur offshore.
鈥淔or this size of an earthquake, aftershocks are expected,鈥� Cassidy said in an interview. 鈥淚n fact we are recording a number of small aftershocks at this time. So the largest that we鈥檝e seen so far is about a 2.6 magnitude.鈥�
Cassidy said aftershocks can happen hours or even days after such quakes, but tend to drop off in frequency 鈥渁s time goes on.鈥�
He said Sunday鈥檚 earthquake was minor in the 鈥済lobal scheme of things,鈥� but said it鈥檚 important to be prepared for earthquakes nonetheless. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a good reminder that we are in an active earthquake zone,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 happen very often, but when they do happen, it鈥檚 important to know what to do, to drop, cover and hold on.鈥�
Cassidy said the province is getting an early-warning system for earthquakes that鈥檚 been under development by Natural Resources Canada, similar to systems in place in California, Oregon, Washington, Japan and Mexico.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very successful undertaking,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the type of automated system that would let you know that an earthquake has occurred and that shaking is on its way, and so the farther away you are, the more time that you would have. So it鈥檚 an opportunity, you know, in hospitals for surgeons to put down their scalpels.鈥�
