Magnitude 4.1 earthquake strikes Tofino on Tuesday afternoon

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake has struck the coast of Vancouver Island.

According to Earthquakes Canada, the seismic event took place on Tuesday afternoon at 3:28 pm in Tofino and 340 km southwest of Port Alice.

Automatic detection of seismic event: magnitude 4.1 – 16 Feb 15:28 PST – TOFINO, BC region

— Earthquakes Canada (@CANADAquakes) February 16, 2021

A report has yet to be issued by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and a statement has not yet been issued by Emergency Info BC.

EARTHQUAKE Mag=4 on 16 Feb at 15:28 PST.

Details : https://t.co/4Oo1DJlrNb

340 km SW of Port Alice, BC

— Earthquakes Canada (@CANADAquakes) February 16, 2021

• See also:
  • 13 earthquake safety steps to follow when the ground starts shaking
  • 43 things every Vancouverite needs in their earthquake emergency kit
  • Here’s how Vancouver would be impacted by a major earthquake (MAP)

Each year, the province sees thousands of earthquakes, but only a small fraction of them reach a magnitude of 3.0 and over.

An increase in an earthquake’s magnitude of even 1.0 – such as the difference between a 4.0 magnitude earthquake and 5.0 magnitude earthquake – is a tremendous difference in the power of an earthquake.

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake is 1,000 times more powerful than one of 5.0 magnitude, as a further example. If an earthquake is shallow with a 5.0 magnitude, it can still cause powerful damage when the epicentre is nearby urban areas. The impact of the quake is amplified with a shallow depth.