Today, Friday, the Canadian Earthquake Service revealed that a 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded off the west coast of Vancouver Island early this morning.
The authority explained that the earthquake occurred at around 4.44 am, about 168 kilometers southwest of Port Alice.
There were no injuries or damage
So far, there has been no news about damage or injuries, and the authority confirmed that a tsunami is also not expected.
As of 6:30 a.m., only one person reported to the federal agency saying they felt shaking from the quake, but reported it as "weak.".
It should also be noted that on May 2, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake was detected about 40 kilometers southwest of the place where the earthquake occurred today, Friday, May 10, 2024.
It is not the first earthquake in this region
An earthquake of a magnitude of 4.8 was registered in a nearby location last week, while the one on May 2 occurred roughly 206 kilometers from Port Alice. Five individuals reported feeling the incident to Earthquake Canada; the majority described the tremor as "weak."
Most reports originated in Port Alberni, a 21,000-person community in British Columbia, about 299 kilometers (186 miles) east of the epicenter in Canada.
Aftershocks of this earthquake
Not a single aftershock has been reported thus far. We shall update this part as soon as aftershocks are found.
What is intensity and the Mercalli intensity scale?
The intensity of an earthquake is the degree of surface shaking that results. Given in Roman numbers such as I, II,...IX, X, and frequently presented with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red, it is typically measured on the so-called modified Mercalli intensity scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (imperceptible) to 10 (severe vibration).
The magnitude, depth, and distance from the epicenter of an earthquake determine its strength primarily; the tremors are less intense the farther away they are.
Remarkably, a first-order assessment indicates that the fault that was active during the earthquake most likely broke below the surface of about 2 km2 (= 1 square mile) given the magnitude of the event. The rupturing zone was thus most likely two kilometers or two miles long.