The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center reported a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake roughly 90 km off the northwest tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, slightly before 4.10 pm local time (slightly before 11.10 pm GMT) on Thursday 22 October 2015. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it on Vancouver Island.
The approximate location of the 22 October 2015 British Columbia Earthquake.Google Maps.
Vancouver Island is located on the western margin of the North American Plate, close to the Challenger Trench, along which the Explorer and Juan de Fuca Plate are being subducted. These are two remnant parts of the ancient Farallon Plate, which formerly underlay part of the eastern Pacific, and which has now been largely subducted beneath North America. The Explorer an Juan de Fuca Plates pass under the North American Plate as they sink into the Earth, but this is not a smooth process, with the plates constantly sticking together then breaking apart as the tectonic stresses build up.
The subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath North America. United States Geological Survey.
Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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The Natural Resources Canada reported a Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake roughly 20 km off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, at about...
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