People reported feeling the shaking in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island shortly after 4 a.m.
A small earthquake hit B.C.’s South Coast early Thursday, with people reporting shaking in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
However, Earthquakes Canada designated it slightly smaller — at 3.8 magnitude — and said it struck just after 4 a.m. about 19 kilometres northeast of Victoria at a depth of 54.8 km.
Shortly after it hit, people from around Metro, Greater Victoria and as far away as Washington state were posting that they had felt the rattle on social media. Some people said it woke them up.
Earthquakes Canada received reports from people who felt the tremor as far north on the Island as Nanaimo and Parksville.
Karin Hedetniemi, in Ross Bay, said her pup jumped off the bed and woke her up.
“A minute later, an earthquake rattled all the dresser handles,” Hedetniemi, posted to X.
Victoria author Jean Paetkau, whose current book is The Sinking of Souls, said in her post at 4 a.m. she felt “one big shake” in James Bay.
“I am awake now.”
John Cassidy, a senior research scientist with Natural Resources Canada, said this was a widely felt earthquake, felt by thousands of people from Victoria to Seattle.
He described it as “weak shaking” because of the depth.
“No damage, no tsunami of course, but this is a reminder (we live) in an active earthquake zone,” he said.
Cassidy added that the Pacific Northwest has seen much bigger shakers, like the 2001 6.8-magnitude earthquake that caused about $2 billion in damage in Seattle.
“Today’s earthquake doesn’t tell us when another larger earthquake might happen, and these deep earthquakes typically have no felt aftershocks — so the most likely situation is for things to be quiet.
“Having said that, we do live in an active earthquake zone that can experience large earthquakes anytime,” he said, adding it’s a good reminder for everyone to check that they’re prepared.
It wouldn’t have gone out with Thursday’s quake because the system is designed to provide warning before a strong or potentially harmful earthquake over 5.0 magnitude is detected. Alerts will be transmitted automatically to British Columbians by cellphone, radio and TV.
Earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.0 happen about once a year in Canada, according to the B.C. government. However, there are about 5,000 smaller quakes a year.
In Canada, earthquakes are most common along the Pacific coast of B.C. and in Yukon, as well as along the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River valleys in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Victoria Times Colonist
with files from Times Colonist