The quake hit 18 kilometres east of Tofino at 6:02 p.m., at a depth of about 24 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Earthquakes Canada reported the temblor as a magnitude-4.6, 13 kilometres east of the municipality. The federal agency said no tsunami was expected and there were no reports of damage.
“This is the strongest quake I can recall feeling in the 16 years that I have lived here,” said Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne, who was visiting a friend’s home at the time. She described the quake as a “short, sharp shake that only lasted a second.”
Sgt. Jeff Swann of the Ucuelet RCMP said he had not received reports of fires or significant damage, but said the detachment received a lot of calls from concerned citizens, some of whom headed to emergency shelters after a tsunami warning was issued, then quickly rescinded.
“That’s what you want people to do,” Swann said.
Residents up and down the Island — from Campbell River to Victoria — and from as far away as Washington state reported feeling the temblor.
Earthquakes are common off the B.C. coast, where the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate meets the Pacific tectonic plate, but few are large enough to be felt by people.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
