4.8-magnitude earthquake rocks Vancouver Island

VANCOUVER — A 4.8-magnitude earthquake on Vancouver Island Friday night was strong enough to rattle shelves and cause some concern among residents.

John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said the quake struck just offshore, about 35 kilometres northwest of Tofino, at a depth of 32 kilometres.

There were no reports of damage, but more than 250 people reported to Earthquakes Canada that they felt the ground shake.

Cassidy said it was large enough to be felt over a very wide area, including Vancouver Island, Greater Vancouver and even as far as Seattle.

He said the Juan de Fuca ocean plate is about 30 kilometres beneath the surface in this area, and earthquakes that strike here tend to have very few or no aftershocks.

“So, in this case, there were no aftershocks because it was one of these deeper earthquakes,” said Cassidy.