You may not have felt them, but two small earthquakes occurred off Vancouver Island Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning.
According to a social media post by John Cassidy, earthquake seismologist for National Resources Canada, the first minor quake occurred on April 9, on the northwest coast of the Island and registered as a 1.5-magnitude quake.
He noted that no one had reported feeling the “tiny earthquake,” but that it was a reminder that the Island is “an active seismic zone” and that even the smallest earthquakes can be detected.
No one felt this afternoon's tiny (M~1.5) earthquake on the west coast of #VancouverIsland, but it is a reminder of an active seismic zone and that we can easily detect earthquakes that are too small to be felt in this region.
Recent #Canadian earthquakes:https://t.co/vrsia5qHdW pic.twitter.com/okwyL8em8Y— John Cassidy (@earthquakeguy) April 9, 2021
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The second quake occurred just after 12:30 a.m. on April 10. The 3.0-magnitude earthquake was also located on the west coast of the Island, but closer to Ucluelet and Bamfield, Cassidy reported.
Another little (M~3) earthquake on the west coast of #VancouverIsland – this one closer to #Ucluelet and #Bamfield.
Did you feel shaking just after midnight? (00:34 PT)
Please report here:https://t.co/D3eZJ1aqO0#CitizenScience pic.twitter.com/8ZmnkZ1JAL— John Cassidy (@earthquakeguy) April 10, 2021
Per the United States Geological Survey, the Saturday morning quake had a depth of 37.2 km and was felt by someone living more than 400 kilometres away in Oregon.
Those who felt the earthquakes can report on the Natural Resources Canada website, earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca, or earthquake.usgs.gov.
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