Magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes off coast of Vancouver Island
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the coast of British Columbia on Monday morning, according to the US Geological Survey.
The seismic event took place at 8:44 am PST and had an epicentre 168 km west of Port Hardy, and 318 km west-northwest of Tofino, in an area of the ocean between northern Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.
The depth of the earthquake was very shallow at only 10 km. No tsunami warning has been issued.
No Tsunami threat to #BC https://t.co/snSXyxu96w
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) December 23, 2019
Thousands of earthquakes occur in the province every year, but only a small fraction have a magnitude of 3.0 and over. On July 3, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near the same area as this morning’s quake. In October 2018, an unusual trio of major earthquakes struck within the span of an hour with magnitudes of 6.5, 6.6, and 6.8 — all in the same area off the northern coast of Vancouver Island.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 and over is considered a seismic event with significant destructive potency, especially if it were to hit with a shallow depth near population centres.
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