Quake Shakes Vancouver Island

In Americas, Earthquakes & Tsunamis, News Headlines

An earthquake hit Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island Tuesday morning, almost three weeks after The Great British Columbia Shake Out, aimed to educate the public on what to do during an earthquake.

There was some shaking and waking happening on the south coast this morning, as a 2.9 magnitude earthquake rumbled the area for the second time in a week.

The earthquake, just high enough on the Richter scale to be felt, happened at 6:47 a.m. with the epicentre 38 kilometres southwest of Richmond. The quake happened 19 kilometres underground, and was felt by residents in Duncan and on Saltspring Island, according to reports.

Last week, a 3.2-magnitude quake occurred in roughly the same area, about 80 kilometres south of Vancouver. It rumbled from almost 51 kilometres beneath the earth’s surface, the U.S. Geological Service said.

The service says earthquakes at about 3.0 on the Richter scale just reach the threshold that can be felt.

B.C. held an earthquake preparedness drill on Jan. 26, and experts say the province is overdue for a major earthquake.

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