Three consecutive earthquakes strike off Vancouver Island
Monday, October 22, 2018, 10:40 AM - A series of three large earthquakes have struck off the coast of British Columbia, according to the United States Geological Survey.
(MUST READ: Earthquakes happen. Are you prepared for the Big One?)
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quakes, the first of which struck just before 11 p.m. PT, around 190 km southwest of Port Hardy, a town on the northeast end of Vancouver Island.
The first quake, reported as magnitude 6.5, was followed by another, of magnitude 6.8, around 40 minutes later.
The third quake was reported at magnitude 6.5 just before midnight, near the same area as the previous two.
THREE IN A ROW 'UNUSUAL'
CBC meteorologist and seismologist Johanna Wagstaffe said the earthquakes are a reminder that B.C. is in a "complicated" tectonic setting.
(The day the Earth shook: 10 quakes that changed history)
British Columbia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an active seismic zone where thousands of mostly small earthquakes are recorded annually by sensors in the province.
Most of the quakes happen near the Cascadia subduction zone, an area where the Juan de Fuca and North American tectonic plates converge, stretching from Vancouver Island to northern California.
(SEE ALSO: Five animals who can (supposedly) predict earthquakes)
"If any one of these quakes had hit closer to land, there would have been devastating consequences," said Wagstaffe about the Sunday-Monday quakes.
"Three large ones in a row does seem unusual, and I'm sure scientists will be learning as much as they can over the next couple of days about the change in stresses just off our coast."
There were no immediate tsunami warnings following the earthquakes.
Earthquakes Canada also reported a magnitude 4.4 aftershock from the first quake before midnight, and three below magnitude 5.0 early Monday.
With files from Reuters
