Series of strong and moderate quakes strike Monday off Vancouver Island
Four strong to moderate earthquakes struck in a little more than four hours Monday off the coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
No damage was reported immediately from any of the quakes, which were centered about 300 miles northwest of Bellingham.
NOAA’s Tsunami Warning System said that a tsunami wasn’t expected from any of the four quakes.
They were in virtually the same location and are considered “moderate” and “strong” in magnitude.
Monday’s first quake registered 5.2 on seismographs at 8:44 a.m. PST at a depth of 6.2 miles and the second was 5.6 at 11:13 a.m. at a depth of 7.2 miles. The third quake was at 11:50 a.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, PNSN said. A fourth quake, at 12:56 p.m., was also a 6.0.
Attempts to reach the PNSN lab, based at the University of Washington, were unsuccessful. The school is between quarters.
A quake of magnitude 5.0 to 5.9 can move heavy furniture and cause slight damage to buildings, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the website UPSeis at Michigan Tech University.
Only about 500 such quakes occur worldwide every year, UPSeis said at its website.
A quake of 6 magnitude can cause heavy damage to nearby populated areas. Only 100 such quakes occur each year worldwide.
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This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Series of strong and moderate quakes strike Monday off Vancouver Island."
