Around 400,000 people could be impacted if a moderate-sized earthquake were to hit near a newly discovered fault line on Vancouver Island.
On Thursday, The Weather Network shared its observations on a study released by Tectonics journal last week.
A single Holocene earthquake was documented in the journal on a “previously unidentified fault in the northern Cascadia forearc near Victoria, Canada,” the report reads.
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Researchers always considered the presence of a fault, but the report suggests that forest and tree covers made it hard to identify.
Tectonics goes on to say that an earthquake on the fault “could cause major damage to the Greater Victoria area” if a magnitude 6.1 to 7.6 were to happen here.
Named the XEOLXELEK-Elk Lake Fault, it is 72 km in length and displays a dip-slip motion, causing rock blocks to move vertically against one another.
Tectonics also shared a photo of the fault line shown in red below.
“The fault line, which extends diagonally from northwest to southeast along the Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria, poses a potential tsunami risk due to its passage beneath the Saanich Inlet,” The Weather Network says.
In a worst-case scenario, a moderate earthquake on the Vancouver Island fault would create a potential tsunami that would impact not only Victoria but also Vancouver, Seattle, Bellingham, Olympia, and Tacoma.
Researchers hope to use the newly discovered fault line to help with earthquake preparedness and safety.
Would you know what to do if a tsunami hit Vancouver?