NewsWeather

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake rocks Metro Vancouver

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Feb 21 2025, 9:36 pm
Magnitude 4.7 earthquake rocks Metro Vancouver
USGS

A moderately powerful earthquake was felt in Metro Vancouver early Friday afternoon, and it had an epicentre nearby just to the northwest of the region.

The seismic event had an epicentre about 27 km north of Sechelt, 32 km west of Squamish, and 57 km northwest of downtown Vancouver. The precise location of the epicentre was within Tetrahedron Provincial Park in the Sunshine Coast area.

This seismic event occurred at 1:26 p.m. PST. The Government of Canada’s Earthquakes Canada initially reported a magnitude of 5.1, later revising it twice to 4.8 before reverting to 5.1. Then on Friday evening, the strength of the earthquake was again downgraded to a magnitude of 4.7.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially also assessed the earthquake as magnitude 5.1 before downgrading it to a lower magnitude of 4.8.

Its shallow depth likely contributed to the tremors felt across a large area of the South Coast of British Columbia, based on early social media reports of people who felt shaking.

But there is currently some disagreement over the exact depth of the epicentre; Earthquakes Canada has pegged the depth at just 1 km below the surface, while U.S. Geological Survey’s analysis pegs the depth at 10 km.

This was one of the closest epicentres of a moderately powerful earthquake in recent memory. The vast majority of B.C.’s stronger earthquakes typically have their epicentres deep in the oceanic crust off the west coast of Vancouver Island, within the Cascadia subduction zone — far from major population centres. However, today’s event occurred considerably inland.

Given the earthquake’s location, there are no tsunami risks.

For each 1.0 magnitude increment, an earthquake carries 10 times the strength, representing exponential growth in its potency. For instance, compared to a magnitude 4.0 earthquake, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake is 10 times more powerful, a magnitude 6.0 is 100 times more powerful, and a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is 1,000 times more powerful.

Earthquake alert text message in Metro Vancouver on Feb. 21, 2025. (Daily Hive)

Some residents in Metro Vancouver have reported receiving emergency alert text messages from the provincial government’s emergency alert text messaging system, which is linked to Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Earthquake Early Warning system.

The system provides up to tens of seconds of advance warning before the ground starts to strongly shake, which aims to reduce injuries, deaths, and loss of property.

In a post on X just after 2 p.m., the Vancouver School Board shared that all its “schools are following their practiced earthquake procedures.”

People as far away as Victoria on Vancouver Island and Bellingham, Wash., have also reported feeling some shaking.

GET MORE VANCOUVER NEWS

By signing up, you agree to receive email newsletters from Daily Hive.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email.

Daily Hive is a division of ZoomerMedia Limited, 70 Jefferson Avenue, Toronto ON M6K 3H4.

ADVERTISEMENT
GET MORE VANCOUVER NEWS