For the second time in just over a week, an earthquake shook Greater Victoria and the Lower Mainland overnight.
The quake, which hit just after 2 a.m., had a magnitude of 3.5, according Earthquakes Canada, and was centred about 18 kilometres west of Delta and east of Ladysmith at a depth of 65 kilometres.
It comes after a 3.8-magnitude shaker in Haro Strait on Sept. 26. That earthquake, centred 11 kilometres east of Sidney and almost 55 kilometres beneath Earth’s surface, was felt by hundreds of people as far north as Nanaimo and Parksville and south to Washington state.
Friday's quake was about 40 kilometres northwest of that one, said Natural Resources Canada earthquake seismologist John Cassidy. “So the one last week was closer to Sidney and this one was closer to Vancouver.”
The fact that the two quakes were only about a week apart is likely just a coincidence, he said.
“In terms of these little earthquakes, the fault that would have broken during them is really tiny, so we wouldn’t expect to see any link or any connection,” he said.
The shaking in both temblors was lightly felt, according to reports to Earthquakes Canada and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Cassidy said the U.S. Geological Survey had received approximately 1,100 reports by about 9 a.m. of the earthquake being felt.
Earthquakes Canada said there were no reports of damage, and none would be expected.
There have also been a series of earthquakes off the west coast of Vancouver Island, the largest of which was a 4.2-magnitude one on Wednesday. Given the distance from land and the depth, it was not expected that it would be felt.
