6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Vancouver Island

September 9, 2011 – CANADA – A 6.7, later downgraded to a 6.4 by the USGS,  magnitude earthquake has struck off the west coast of Vancouver Island, with tremours felt as far away as Metro Vancouver. But there is no tsunami warning advisory or warning for the U.S. or Canadian coasts, and local police say there are no reports of injuries or damage. However, there could be aftershocks up to magnitude of 5, seismologists warn.   At 12:42 pm PT, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 occurred under the Pacific Ocean about 90 kilometres south of Port Alice, on Vancouver Island. “Based on the earthquake magnitude, location and historic tsunami records, a damaging tsunami is not expected,” the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says. However, the centre advised that underwater landslides may cause “local tsunamis” at some coastal locations that experienced strong ground shaking. In the small coastal community of Zeballos, the quake prompted some residents to “throw their cats and dogs into the car and prepared to head out of town,” said Carolyne Withrow, who runs the local fuel dock. “It shook for about 40 seconds, then there was silence, then it went again, a little harder.” Students were evacuated from the village’s elementary school, and many of the 500 residents quickly gathered at the designated emergency meeting grounds, a large, flat field towards the outskirts, where mayor Ted Lewis and the fire chief assessed whether any further action was required. “They are now going door to door to make sure that everyone is okay,” said Ms. Withrow. So far, there are no reports of injuries or property damage, she said. The 6.7-earthquake is a fairly large seismic event – slightly less than the recent 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. But the impact of the B.C. quake was muted because the event occurred 26 kilometres below the surface, said geologist Brent Ward of Simon Fraser University. However, the rumbling could be enough to crack brick walls and plaster in nearby Gold River and Zeballos, he said . The Friday quake should be a “a good wake-up call” for British Columbians, Mr. Ward said. “It should remind people to get their earthquake kits together and have a plan in place,” he said. The earthquake was probably not a precursor of “the Big One”, he said. “In many cases, these are just a one-off. There could be minor after-shocks of magnitude 4 or 5,” Mr. Ward said. –Globe and Mail