An earthquake registering a magnitude of 5.8 hit approximately 200 kilometres west-southwest of Bella Bella on B.C.’s North Coast Wednesday night, according to Earthquakes Canada.
The earthquake, which is not expected to generate a tsunami, hit at about 9:30 p.m. PT, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres – though the depth was 12 kilometres, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS pegged the magnitude of the quake slightly higher than Earthquakes Canada, at 6.2.
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About 90 minutes later, Earthquakes Canada tweeted about another 4.0 quake in the area.
The last time a big earthquake happened in the region was on Oct. 28, 2012, when a quake registering 7.8 took place.
Before that, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake happened on Nov. 17, 2009.
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Earthquakes Canada said there were two reports of people who felt the quake.
Earthquake seismologist Alison Bird told Global News that the event was not threat to anyone, and that several tend to take place in this area.
“It’s not unusual, it’s just a little bit larger than some of them are,” she said.
People would have felt the quake lightly on the northern tip of Vancouver Island and on the adjacent mainland, close to Bella Bella.