Just after 2 a.m. last night, a 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook parts of southern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
The event occurred 18 kilometres west of Tsawwassen in the Strait of Georgia, according to Earthquakes Canada.
This is one of several earthquakes that have occurred near Vancouver Island in recent weeks. On Thursday, Set. 26, a 3.8-magnitude earthquake occurred just 12 kilometres southeast of Saanichton, and a 4.2-magnitude one occurred 254 kilometres southwest of Part Hardy on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
"Felt it downtown; I was in bed reading and felt everything start shaking," said a Victoria Reddit user about last night's event. "The closet door rattled on the track and the bed shook for a bit."
"In Saanich I only felt the earthquake for a second or so, like a loud thump," said another Reddit user.
A questionnaire on Earthquakes Canada's website allows users to rate how strongly they feel earthquakes. Of the 514 total responses about last night's event, 452 reported "weak" shaking and no damage. 46 more reported "light" shaking and no damage, while three reported "moderate" shaking and "very light" damage. While most responses from the Island were logged by users in Greater Victoria, there were seven reports made in the Nanaimo area.
For more information about the earthquake, visit: earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca. Head to gov.bc.ca to learn about earthquake preparedness.
