A shallow Magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck under land 126 kilometer from Fort St. John in Canada in the early afternoon of Friday June 16th, 2023.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Canada, 126 kilometer (78 mi) northwest of Fort St. John in British Columbia. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 3 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jun 16, 2023 13:00 (Dawson Creek Time) - Jun 16, 2023 20:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 126 km NW of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 57°2'24"N 122°19'12"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.2 |
| Depth: | 3 km (2 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Canada . Fort St. John in British Columbia, Canada is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 126 kilometer (78 mi) northwest of Fort St. John.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 126 km (78 mi) SE from epicenter |
Fort St. John British Columbia, Canada. |
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
2 days earlier Jun 14, 2023 16:20 (Dawson Creek Time) | 0 km (0 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.2 |
Jun 16, 2023 13:00 (Dawson Creek Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 11th, 2022, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 20 km (13 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck on August 17th, 2015.
In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.2 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 3 years.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 3 km (2 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/08/23 13:37 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230616_0000254
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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