Aftershocks expected after strong earthquake on B.C.’s South Coast

A 4.7 earthquake sent homes and buildings shaking across B.C. Experts say it’s the most powerful earthquake to hit B.C. beneath land in years.

A strong earthquake sent homes shaking across B.C.’s South Coast on Friday afternoon, and experts are anticipating aftershocks over the coming days.

The seismic event happened shortly before 1:30 p.m., causing noticeable tremors across the Vancouver area, the resort community of Whistler, and Vancouver Island.

The earthquake – believed to be magnitude 4.7, down from an earlier estimate of 5.1 – struck on a remote part of the Sunshine Coast, at a depth of just one kilometre.

That would make it the most powerful earthquake to hit the region beneath land in years, according to Natural Resources Canada.

“We have them off shore, of course, all the time,” said John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist with the government agency. “But it’s been at least a decade since we’ve had an earthquake of this magnitude (beneath land), and felt by so many people.”

Witnesses across the Lower Mainland reported feeling their homes shake or sway, including residents of high-rise apartment buildings in Vancouver.

Cassidy noted that shallow earthquakes produce more prominent shaking than those further below the surface, like the one that struck off the coast of Victoria last week at a depth of about 39 kilometres.

Shallower earthquakes are also more likely to cause aftershocks, he added.

“They might continue for days or even a week,” said Cassidy. “It’s very common to see these aftershocks following a shallow earthquake in our region.”

The incident also prompted an “immediate inspection” of Vancouver’s bridges, performed by structural engineering consultants, the city said in a bulletin hours after the quake.

BC Ferries temporarily halted service at the Horseshoe Bay and Langdale terminals, for similar inspections of the infrastructure.

Reports of late emergency alerts

Experts said an earthquake of that magnitude, at that depth, would have caused the most intense shaking within a few kilometres of the epicentre, but still could have sent belongings toppling off shelves further out.

This quake was recorded approximately 27 kilometres northeast of the Sunshine Coast community of Sechelt, and roughly 65 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.

Bill Forbes, who lives outside the Vancouver Island community of Qualicum Beach, said his cats Kit and Miko seemed to sense the earthquake coming before his house began to wobble.

“They made this really strange meow,” Forbes told CTV News. “They stood up and their hair went way out, then right away our home started shaking.”

Forbes said the shaking came in three distinct waves. Shortly after the third, he received an emergency alert on his cellphone from Natural Resources Canada warning him to “drop, cover and hold on.”

A number of other B.C. residents have reported receiving the alert late, or not at all.

“Something might not be working,” Forbes mused.

Officials have since confirmed there is no tsunami danger anticipated as a result of the earthquake, and there have been no reports of damaged properties.

The incident still rattled many people across the region, including Rebecca Bligh, a Vancouver city councillor.

“Very unnerving to feel that earthquake while in an older office building,” Bligh wrote on X, the platform formerly called TwitterX. “Every small seismic event is a reminder to get prepared.”