4.1-magnitude earthquake strikes near Sidney, B.C.

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 03, 2025 9:15 AM EST | Last Updated: March 4

A 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck 42 km eastbound of Sidney, B.C., Monday morning. 

The earthquake, which occurred astatine 5:02 a.m. PT, was lightly felt astir Victoria and Vancouver, according to Earthquakes Canada. It was primitively reported arsenic a 4.5 magnitude and aboriginal updated to a 4.1.

It occurred adjacent Orcas Island, Wash., which is betwixt Vancouver and Seattle and conscionable southbound of B.C.'s Southern Gulf Islands. 

A connection said determination are nary reports of damage, and a nationalist alert was not issued because the magnitude and strength were beneath thresholds astatine which harm mightiness beryllium expected. It says determination is besides nary tsunami risk. 

WATCH | Why you shouldn't tally extracurricular during an earthquake:

Monday's quake comes aft a 4.7-magnitude earthquake adjacent Sechelt connected Feb. 21 and a 5.0-magnitude quake connected Feb. 24 disconnected the seashore of Port Alice connected bluish Vancouver Island.

Shaking passim the region

Erin Stockill with the Saanich Emergency Program felt shaking from an earthquake for the archetypal clip connected Monday morning.

"It woke maine up," she told CBC's On The Island big Gregor Craigie.

"Six years with Saanich Emergency Program wherever this is my job, and this was my archetypal felt and heard earthquake this morning."

She's surely not unsocial — dozens of radical connected Vancouver Island wrote to CBC News that they felt the earthquake.

WATCH | Should you beryllium disquieted astir aggregate earthquakes successful a abbreviated span of time? 

John Cassidy, seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said helium felt the earthquake this greeting from North Saanich.

"It was a spot of a rude awakening," Cassidy said. 

Cassidy said the earthquake was astir 15-20 km deep, and was felt implicit the full portion from Courtenay down to Tacoma, Wash. 

Seismologist Alison Bird said though the earthquake wasn't "terribly big," it was shallow and situated successful a much populated area, making it much apt radical would consciousness it. 

"We surely person rather a batch of earthquakes that are larger than this off our seashore that radical don't consciousness astatine each conscionable due to the fact that they're further away," she said.

Cassidy said determination person been 4 earthquakes felt successful Victoria implicit the past 2 weeks, but nary of the enactment is antithetic arsenic determination are earthquakes successful the portion each day.

WATCH | What we cognize astir Monday's earthquake: 

"They're each different, they're acold capable apart, we wouldn't expect to spot these connected successful immoderate way," said Cassidy. 

Cassidy says those who felt the quake should fill retired the Earthquakes Canada "Did you consciousness it?" form.

"It helps america to amended recognize crushed shaking crossed municipality areas." 

Think astir preparedness: officials

Stockill said this earthquake was yet different reminder for British Columbians to beryllium prepared for aboriginal seismic events.

The astir important happening to retrieve erstwhile you consciousness an earthquake, she said, is to drop, find screen and clasp on. If you're not adjacent a table oregon array to spell under, she said, get debased to the ground. 

"We tin speech astir preparedness each time long, we tin speech astir alerting, but we can't suffer that musculus memory," she said.

After you drop, screen and clasp on, she said, number to 60 and past you tin measure the situation. 

WATCH | Preparing for an earthquake:

Once the lawsuit is agelong over, Stockill said, it's a bully clip to cheque the earthquake kit and fig retired what needs to beryllium replaced oregon added. Items specified as water, medication, flashlights and batteries are listed connected Prepared B.C.'s website, but determination whitethorn beryllium different supplies that should beryllium stocked.

"Think astir what makes your household unsocial and what items you would privation to person connected manus to consciousness comfy aft an exigency similar an earthquake," Stockill said.