Magnitude 6.6 earthquake rattles area off northern Vancouver IslandAndrea Bagley Digital Reporter
Thursday, April 24, 2014, 9:32 PM -
Residents in B.C. are feeling a bit uneasy after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the northern coast of Vancouver Island Wednesday night. CHECK BACK: Arda Ocal interviews a chief geologist at Simon University at 1:15 pm ET Thursday
The quake was initially rated a magnitude 6.7, but was later downgraded by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS says the quake hit 94 km south of Port Hardy at a depth of about 11 km.
USGS reporting a 6.7 magnitude Earthquake 94 km S. of Port Hardy, BC. No Tsunami threat. At least 2 aftershocks have been reported.- The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) April 24, 2014
6.7 Magnitude Earthquake 88 km South of Port Hardy, with aftershocks of 5.0 and 4.2 Magnitude. #BCEarthquake http://t.co/Og6GHEJFbs- Matt Grinter (@matt_grinter) April 24, 2014
Glass rattled and buildings swayed, but no damage or injuries were reported and there was no tsunami warning issued. Several aftershocks were reported however, including a magnitude 4.2 and 5.0.
Tsunami NOT expected. MT @NWS_NTWC Tsunami Info Stmt: M6.7 025Mi SW Port Alice #BC 2010PDT Apr 23: http://t.co/aJ69nrTMJi- Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) April 24, 2014
Port Hardy Mayor Bev Parnham says the quake was strong but very short, everyone remained calm, and there was no damage to infrastructure.
Still, it serves as a reminder for residents to be prepared, especially since earthquakes are common off the B.C. coast.
'This was a good wake up call,' said geologist Dr. Brent Ward at the Simon Fraser University. 'To remind people that we are in an earthquake hazard zone, and to be prepared, to have a plan, have an earthquake kit together, and make sure they're are ready for when a much larger earthquake occurs.'
@KING5Seattle Accused my husband of shaking our table at the restaurant in #Vancouver, guess it was the #bcearthquake.- Jackie (@jackie_lund) April 24, 2014
WHAT HAPPENS IF AN EARTHQUAKE HITS VANCOUVER?
For a city that is always looking over its shoulder for the 'Big One,' this latest earthquake has likely rattled a few nerves.
According to researchers at the University of British Columbia, the city of Vancouver, the west's largest city, would be even more severely affected than previously thought: The city is built on a combination of sediment and dense rock that could actually intensify the strength of an earthquake.
The researchers say their findings will help modify the city's building code to hopefully lead to more earthquake resistant buildings.
Officials say these kind of events are a good wake-up call and should serve as a reminder to have an earthquake kit and a family plan ready. With files from The Canadian Press PREPARING FOR THE 'BIG ONE': Earthquake a good wake-up call
'Here on the coast, we're in a situation where the Juan de Fuca Plate is pushing underneath North America. So, it's pushing underneath, but it's actually stuck and so it's continuing to move and it's actually causing the outer coast of Vancouver Island to bow up a bit and eventually that stress that builds up is going to be released and we'll get movement,' said Dr. Brent Ward, professor of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University in a previous interview. 'It will be very similar to what happened in Japan and what happened before in Indonesia. It will trigger a tsunami and we'll have very intense ground shaking over a very large area over the Pacific Northwest and it will probably be an eight point something or even a nine magnitude earthquake.'
Post By http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/magnitude-66-earthquake-rattles-area-off-northern-vancouver-island/25915/
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