The earth on the north coast was moving on Saturday night as a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck 139 km south of Masset.
“We’re going around and checking now, waiting to see if there was any damage. I do know that it felt like there was a train going through, it was enough for me to move away from the windows,” Queen Charlotte mayor Carol Kulesha said.
The earthquake occurred at 8:04 p.m. at the epicenter on Oct. 27.
Although the earthquake happened 202 km away from Prince Rupert, many felt or noticed signs of it. The quake was felt as far away as Chetwynd through the Pine Pass and down along Hwy. 16 communities including Smithers and Burns Lake.
The earthquake happened 17.5 kilometres below the surface. There is now a tsunami warning in effect for the coastal areas of British Columbia and Alaska. However the chances of Prince Rupert flooding from tsunami waves are unlikely considering the city’s harbour is surrounded by islands.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) has confirmed a 5.8 magnitude aftershock happened ten minutes after the initial quake, and says aftershocks could last for months.
