Did you feel it? Small quake strikes near Whatcom shortly before lunch time Wednesday
A 2.8-magnitude earthquake rattled in Canadian waters west of Whatcom County Wednesday shortly before noon.
The quake struck at 11:57 a.m. March 24, according to the USGS update.
The epicenter was located approximately 12 miles southeast of Salt Spring Island, according to the USGS, and approximately 17 miles north of Victoria, B.C. That measures measures approximately 38 miles west of downtown Bellingham, according to GoogleMaps.
Preliminary measurements by the USGS showed the quake was located approximately 12 miles beneath the earth’s surface
No damage was reported, but 20 people reported feeling the quake on the USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” web page as of Wednesday afternoon. Nobody in Whatcom County had reported feeling it, as most were on the islands just off the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island.
Quakes of less than magnitude 3.0 are common, and tens of thousands are reported worldwide every year, according to the USGS.
A quake of magnitude 1.0 to 3.0 is not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions, according to the USGS.
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