A shallow MAG-4.8 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 265 kilometer from Vernon Lake, Canada in the evening of Sunday October 15th, 2023.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 170 kilometers (105 mi) off the coast of Canada, 265 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: | Oct 15, 2023 20:13 (Vancouver Time) - Oct 16, 2023 03:13 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 265 km WNW of Vernon Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 50°42'12"N 129°56'14"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Canada . Located 265 kilometer (165 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vernon Lake (British Columbia, Canada) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 265 km (165 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Vernon Lake British Columbia, Canada. |
Shaking reported by 12 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 12 people have reported shaking in 6 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:
- Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada: 6 people.
- Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: 2 people.
- Port MacNeill, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
- Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
- Walnut Grove, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 28 km (17 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 14 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.3
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Oct 14, 2023 08:34 (Vancouver Time) | 36 km (23 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
Oct 15, 2023 20:13 (Vancouver Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
14 hrs later Oct 16, 2023 09:59 (Vancouver Time) | 28 km (17 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
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.
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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 17th, 2023, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 29 km (18 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 22nd, 2018.
In total, 56 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 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 2 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/12/23 11:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000lftw
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231016_0000026
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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