A 6.4 magnitude earthquake off Vancouver Island left some New Westminster residents feeling tremors last Friday.
Simon Fraser University geologist Brent Ward said the quake likely originated from stress built up due to the oceanic Juan de Fuca plate moving sideways and downward, under the North American plate.
"This quake would have been most strongly felt in small communities on the west coast of Vancouver Island, such as Gold River and Zebalos, and possibly in Tofino and Ucluelet," Ward said. "We're in a tectonically active area. . We've got a plate underneath the edge of North America. So that sets up pressures to cause rocks to rupture and break, which triggers and earthquake.
Earthquakes here are pretty common. It's just most of them are kind of off in the ocean, and they are not that big."
While earthquakes here are common, and there's no need to panic with this latest one, the rumblings were a good reminder for people to be prepared, Ward pointed out. Families should have an earthquake kit ready and a plan to meet with family members that takes into consideration the likelihood that cellphones will not be working in a major disaster.
