A 6.1 magnitude tremor off the coast of Vancouver Island was recorded Thursday morning, but no after effects are expected. (USGS)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

ocean tremor

6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs off coast of Vancouver Island

Jul 11, 2024 | 8:55 AM

NANAIMO — No tsunami is expected and no damage has been reported from a sizeable tremor in the Pacific Ocean Thursday morning.

Earthquakes Canada reports seismic detectors recorded a 6.4 magnitude earthquake west of Vancouver Island at 8:08 a.m. on Thursday, July 11.

Other agencies reported a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.6 on the Richter Scale. Aftershocks, ranging from 4.3 to 4.9 magnitude were also recorded in the hours after the first tremor.

The epicentre of the quake occurred approximately 213 kilometres west of Ucluelet and 331 kilometres west-southwest from Nanaimo.

Few reports of feeling the tremor have been made to date, with the earthquake occurring at a depth of around 10 kilometres below sea level.

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It’s considered an average depth for earthquakes worldwide.

“We are currently experiencing a swarm of activity offshore Vancouver Island, at the intersection of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the Sovanco Fracture Zone, and the Nootka Fault,” a notice from Earthquakes Canada read.

John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resource Canada, reported earlier in July the area is undergoing a seasonal “earthquake swarm”.

“#VancouverIsland is in a region of complex plate tectonics, where plates are being created and slide past one another,” Cassidy wrote in a July 8 tweet. “More than 120 earthquakes of M5-6+ have occurred here during the past 40 years, including many swarms.”

Vancouver Island sits at the intersection of the Juan de Fuca Plate and the Explorer Plate with regular shifts.

Dozens of small tremors have been reported in recent weeks, centred not far from Thursday’s event.

Earthquakes Canada notes Thursday’s tremor is the largest earthquake in the immediate region since a 6.6 magnitude tremor in October 2018.

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