On Sunday Night a Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 293km from Vernon Lake (Canada).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 17th, 2023. Last updated November 16th, 2023.

In the night of Sunday September 17th, 2023, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 293 kilometer from Vernon Lake, Canada. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 148 kilometers (92 mi) off the coast of Canada, 293 kilometer west-northwest of Vernon Lake in British Columbia. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Sep 17, 2023 04:28 (Vancouver Time) - Sep 17, 2023 11:28 Universal Time.
Location:	293 km WNW of Vernon Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 50°48'47"N 130°18'46"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.027 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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

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

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

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 10 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 5,670 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Canada . Located 293 kilometer (182 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vernon Lake (British Columbia, Canada) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

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

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 5 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:

• Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
• Parksville, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
• Penticton, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
• Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.

16 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 16 smaller aftershocks. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 4 km (2.2 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 58 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 1 hr before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 13th, 2023, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 185 km (115 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 22nd, 2018.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 8 months.

Sources

Last updated 16/11/23 10:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000kwaz
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230917_0000083
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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