A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake was among several tremors recorded off the coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino on Thursday morning, and some people on Vancouver Island reportedly felt the ground shake as a result.
The largest tremor occurred at 8:08 am local time, approximately 183 kilometres southwest of Port Alice and 209 kilometres from Tofino.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.4 – 209 km WSW of Tofino, Canada https://t.co/21XCEVMRDV
ā USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) July 11, 2024
Earthquakes Canada and the US Geological Survey each confirmed the main quake’s magnitude at 6.4 and noted a swarm of smaller earthquakes ranging from 3.3 to 5.2 that followed it.Ā
Collin Paul, a seismic analyst with Natural Resources Canada, says it isn’t a cause for alarm or a sign of “the Big One.”
But he says there were reports that some people did feel it, especially if they were in a quiet space with few distractions at the time.
“They would have felt a very light rolling motion,” he explained. But, there was “no damage expected,” he said.
“This is a swarm of earthquakes occurring at the intersection of the Juan de Fuca Ridge and two fractures that occurring offshore, related to the tectonics of the region. This is a busier sequence, but it’s not unique, as we often see these types of swarm events on an annual basis,” he said.
“This is a great reminder that we do live in an area with active tectonics and earthquakes are always happening. You can always stay up to date with these earthquakes at Earthquakes Canada, and you can always be get prepared for a natural hazard such as earthquake by going to getprepared.ca.”