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3 earthquakes measuring between 6.5- and 6.8-magnitude hit off Vancouver Island

WATCH ABOVE: Three powerful earthquakes off the coast of Vancouver Island over the past 24 hours are raising new concerns about "the big one." But should we be worried? Jennifer Palma investigates – Oct 22, 2018

Three earthquakes measured at magnitudes of anywhere between 6.5 and 6.8 struck off Vancouver Island on Sunday night.

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They hit about 200 kilometres west of the island, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRC).

A 6.5-magnitude quake hit at 10:39 p.m., a 6.8-magnitude quake at 11:16 p.m. and another 6.5-magnitude quake at 11:22 p.m., it said.

WATCH: What’s behind the string of earthquakes off Vancouver Island?

One of the quakes, which was measured at a magnitude of 6.5, hit approximately 200 kilometres from the Vancouver Island community of Port Alice on Sunday night.

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The 6.8-magnitude quake is believed to have struck just under 200 kilometres west of Port Alice.

There were no reports of damage, and “none would be expected,” according to NRC.

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WATCH: Three strong earthquakes reported off Vancouver Island

The earthquake’s location was pegged at 208 kilometres west-southwest of Port Alice, and 478 kilometres west of Vancouver.

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The quake happened at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres and no tsunami was expected.

WATCH: A closer look at the string of earthquakes off the coast of Vancouver Island

“We’re still recording very small aftershocks, even this morning right now,” Dr. John Cassidy, a seismologist with NRC told CKNW Monday morning. “But there were three very strong earthquakes last night.  They occurred within a span of about 45 minutes.”

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There were no reports of the quake having been felt.

READ MORE: Chance of the ‘big one’ hitting higher due to seismic activity – expert

Coverage of earthquakes on Globalnews.ca:

Though the quake may seem large compared to other events that have hit the West Coast of North America in recent years, it was far from the biggest.

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Earlier this year, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit just under 600 kilometres south of Anchorage, triggering a tsunami that was less than a foot high.

Historically, the largest of quakes measuring at a magnitude of five or more near B.C. happened in 1970, when an event hit a magnitude of 7.4, according to Natural Resources Canada.

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