A 4-magnitude earthquake trembled B.C.'s coast early Thursday morning (Sept. 26).
It was recorded just 18 kilometres from Victoria at 4:05 a.m., according to officials, with a depth of 52 kilometres.
The earthquake was lightly felt in Vancouver and Victoria, said Earthquakes Canada, including up to the tip of the Peninsula and as far as an area of Nanaimo to the North. To the West, it could be felt as far as Sooke.
There were no reports of damage, and "none would be expected," the report read. On the Earthquake Magnitudes Scale, anything between a 3.4-5.4 earthquake will be "often felt, but rarely cause damage." A level 6 can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings and a "major" earthquake is considered a 7. The scale goes up to a 9.
On average, several thousand earthquakes are recorded in B.C. annually, of which approximately 50 earthquakes are felt, said ClimateReadyBC. Earthquakes strong enough to cause structural damage occur once per decade, on average.
Many people who felt the earthquake shared their experiences and insights on social media, including John Cassidy on X, who goes by the handle @earthquakeguy. Cassidy is an Natural Resources Canada earthquake seismologist and UVic professor who works with engineers, emergency managers, and communities to minimize the impact of earthquakes.
"Was today’s M3.8 earthquake near #Victoria unusual? Not so much," he posted on X. "This #earthquake was deep (~55 km below the surface) and in the subducting Juan de Fuca plate. During the past 30 years more 330 deep earthquakes have occurred near here, including a M4.7 in 2015 and a M4.9 in 1999."
Other social media posters shared stories of being jolted wide awake, the reactions of their pets or missing the moment altogether.
The quake comes three weeks before the Great BC ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m., an annual event when millions of people worldwide will practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On."
