On Thursday Morning a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 245km from Vernon Lake (Canada).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 4th, 2024. Last updated September 2nd, 2024.

In the North Pacific Ocean 245 kilometer from Vernon Lake, Canada, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday July 4th, 2024. 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, 204 kilometers (127 mi) off the coast of Canada, 245 kilometer southwest 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:	Jul 4, 2024 09:15 (Vancouver Time) - Jul 4, 2024 16:15 Universal Time.
Location:	245 km SW of Vernon Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 48°39'13"N 129°0'27"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 .
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

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 5.7. 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.

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 4 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 4 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 4,130 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
310	II	Very weak	None
4,130	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 . Located 245 kilometer (152 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Vernon Lake (British Columbia, Canada) is the nearest significant population center. Vernon Lake experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
245 km (152 mi) NE from epicenter	Vernon Lake British Columbia, Canada.	III Weak

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 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 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:

Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada: 2 people.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: 2 people.
Cumberland, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Port MacNeill, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.

9 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 9 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.3 was detected 6 km (3 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 13 smaller foreshocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 20 hrs earlier nearby.

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
Foreshock	M 4.4	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 12:59 (Vancouver Time)	26 km (16 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:13 (Vancouver Time)	36 km (23 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.4	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:16 (Vancouver Time)	37 km (23 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.6	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:18 (Vancouver Time)	32 km (20 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.7	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:18 (Vancouver Time)	89 km (55 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.5	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:19 (Vancouver Time)	22 km (13 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:21 (Vancouver Time)	24 km (15 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.3	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:23 (Vancouver Time)	26 km (16 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.9	20 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 13:25 (Vancouver Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.1	19 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 14:14 (Vancouver Time)	31 km (19 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	11 hrs earlier Jul 3, 2024 22:01 (Vancouver Time)	25 km (16 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.7	3 hrs earlier Jul 4, 2024 06:18 (Vancouver Time)	13 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	15 mins earlier Jul 4, 2024 09:00 (Vancouver Time)	7 km (5 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Jul 4, 2024 09:15 (Vancouver Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	1 hr later Jul 4, 2024 10:43 (Vancouver Time)	7 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.8	2 hrs later Jul 4, 2024 11:31 (Vancouver Time)	10 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	5 hrs later Jul 4, 2024 14:20 (Vancouver Time)	23 km (14 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	7 hrs later Jul 4, 2024 16:13 (Vancouver Time)	22 km (14 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	10 hrs later Jul 4, 2024 18:48 (Vancouver Time)	12 km (8 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	10 hrs later Jul 4, 2024 19:09 (Vancouver Time)	10 km (6 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	17 hrs later Jul 5, 2024 02:05 (Vancouver Time)	20 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.3	1 day later Jul 5, 2024 09:34 (Vancouver Time)	6 km (3 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	2 days later Jul 6, 2024 04:01 (Vancouver Time)	37 km (23 mi) S 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.

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).

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 April 13th, 2023, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 77 km (48 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 22nd, 2018.

In total, 7 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 02/09/24 07:48 (). 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.