Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Sunday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 276km from Vernon Lake (Canada).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 28th, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 276 kilometer from Vernon Lake, Canada, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake occurred in the evening of Sunday September 27th, 2026. 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, 216 kilometers (134 mi) off the coast of Canada, 276 kilometer west 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 27, 2026 21:41 (Vancouver Time) - Sep 28, 2026 04:41 Universal Time.
Location:	276 km west of Vernon Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Coordinates 50°3'10"N 130°13'15"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 34 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
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 5.4. 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 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Not many people felt this earthquake

All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Canada .

MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
I	Not noticable	None
II	Very weak	None
III	Weak	Probably none
IV	Light	Likely none
V	Moderate	Very light
VI	Strong	Light
VII	Very Strong	Moderate
VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
IX	Violent	Heavy
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 276 kilometer (171 mi) west of Vernon Lake.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter	Vernon Lake British Columbia, Canada.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is 0.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 41 km (25 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5.2

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 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 4.9	2 hrs earlier Sep 27, 2026 19:53 (Vancouver Time)	38 km (23 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Sep 27, 2026 21:41 (Vancouver Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.5	4 hrs later Sep 28, 2026 02:03 (Vancouver Time)	45 km (28 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.2	5 hrs later Sep 28, 2026 02:13 (Vancouver Time)	41 km (25 mi) E 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 happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 1st, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 83 km (51 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on October 22nd, 2018.

In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 6 months.

Sources

Last updated 28/09/26 22:08 (). 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.