Magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocks British Columbia’s north coast and islands

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the southern tip of Haida Gwaii on Sunday, followed by a series of aftershocks.

Earthquakes Canada said the quake was felt in Sandspit and Masset on the archipelago off British Columbia’s northern coast, as well as parts of northern Vancouver Island and Terrace and Kitimat on the mainland.

The National Weather Service’s National Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said the earthquake did not pose a tsunami threat.

John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada in Victoria, said the seismic activity began earlier in the day, with the first magnitude-3.0 earthquake occurring at 2:37 p.m., followed shortly thereafter by a magnitude-4.2 quake.

The main earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4, occurred at 15:22 about 200 kilometres south of Sandspit.

“This is one of the most seismically active zones in Canada,” Cassidy told CBC News, adding that while small earthquakes occur in the area almost daily, larger events like this one are less common.

He added that the tremors were felt over a wide area, but the region where the earthquake occurred is sparsely populated.

“That’s about 200 kilometers from any major community,” the seismologist said. “The damage to the few people who live very close by could have been items thrown off shelves.”

Doug Neasloss, chief councillor of Klemtu, a town north of Bella Bella on British Columbia’s central coast, said residents felt the quake.

“Everything is fine, I just felt a slight tremor,” Neasloss said.

Ben Wilson, the food and beverage manager at Willows Golf Course in Sandspit, said he was home from work on a break when he felt the ground shake. It lasted long enough to know what was happening, but not long enough to worry about it.

“This one was definitely more noticeable than some, but it was by no means the biggest I’ve ever felt here.”

Earthquakes Canada warns that aftershocks are expected in the coming days.