On Thursday Morning a Shallow M6.0 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 251km from Vernon Lake (Canada).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 13th, 2023. Last updated June 11th, 2023.

In the North Pacific Ocean 251 kilometer from Vernon Lake, Canada, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday April 13th, 2023. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 212 kilometers (132 mi) off the coast of Canada, 251 kilometer west-southwest of Vernon Lake in British Columbia. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 13, 2023 08:54 (Vancouver Time) - Apr 13, 2023 15:54 Universal Time.
Location:	251 km WSW of Vernon Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 49°12'53"N 129°37'4"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	7 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 7 km (4 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 10 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 10 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 13,810 people are expected to be exposed to this level. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
13,810	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Canada . Vernon Lake in British Columbia, Canada is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 251 kilometer (156 mi) west-southwest of Vernon Lake.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
251 km (156 mi) ENE from epicenter	Vernon Lake British Columbia, Canada.
327 km (203 mi) ENE from epicenter	Campbell River British Columbia, Canada.
338 km (210 mi) E from epicenter	Courtenay British Columbia, Canada.
350 km (217 mi) E from epicenter	Port Alberni British Columbia, Canada.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 13 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 10 places, all within Canada.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 3 people.
Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada: 2 people.
Sidney, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada: 1 person.
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Port MacNeill, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 24 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.2 was detected 50 km (31 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.0	Apr 13, 2023 08:54 (Vancouver Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.2	24 hrs later Apr 14, 2023 08:49 (Vancouver Time)	50 km (31 mi) SSE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 25th, 2019, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 157 km (98 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 22nd, 2018.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every year.

Sources

Last updated 11/06/23 17:17 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.