Earthquake near Victoria rattles residents on B.C.’s south coast

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck off the south coast of Vancouver Island on Thursday night, felt in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

The quake struck at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter 16 kilometers south of Victoria, roughly on the Canada-U.S. maritime border in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The quake was reported by the Seismological Service of Canada and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was about 40 kilometers deep, the U.S. Geological Survey later downgraded the magnitude to 3.7 from 3.8.

No damage or injuries were reported.

Thousands of people in the area shared their experiences on social media after the quake struck. More than 700 people reported the quake to the USGS by Friday morning, and 200 to Seismological Canada.

Residents as far away as Nanaimo, Vancouver and even Seattle also felt the tremors, but most reports came from Victoria, the southern Gulf Islands and the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.

British Columbia's Emergency Management Agency (Emergency Info BC) advised people to lie down on the floor if they feel shaking, take shelter under a sturdy table if possible, and hold on to something if they feel it.

According to Seismology Canada, the largest earthquake recorded in the region was a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in December 1872. After that, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the region in June 1946 and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in April 1949.

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