  | |
| UTC time | 1946-06-23 17:13:24 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 898434 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | June 23, 1946 |
| Local time | 10:15 a.m.[1] |
| Magnitude | 7.0 Ms[2] 7.5 Mw[3] |
| Depth | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
| Epicenter | 49°37′N 125°16′W / 49.62°N 125.26°W[4] |
| Areas affected | Canada United States |
| Total damage | Limited[5] |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) |
| Casualties | 2[1] |
The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake struck Vancouver Island on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, on June 23 at 10:15 a.m.[1] with a magnitude estimated at 7.0 Ms[2] and 7.5 Mw.[6] The main shock epicenter occurred in the Forbidden Plateau area northwest of Courtenay. While most of the large earthquakes in the Vancouver area occur at tectonic plate boundaries, the 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake was a crustal event. Shaking was felt from Portland, Oregon, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. This is one of the most damaging earthquakes in the history of British Columbia, but damage was restricted because there were no heavily populated areas near the epicentre, where severe shaking occurred.
This earthquake is Canada's largest historic onshore earthquake.[1] However, the greatest earthquake in Canadian history recorded by seismometers was the 1949 Queen Charlotte earthquake, an interplate earthquake that occurred on the ocean bottom just off the rugged coast of Graham Island, which reached magnitude 8.1 on the moment magnitude scale.[7]
- ^ a b c d The M7.3 Vancouver Island Earthquake of 1946 Retrieved on 2008-06-11
- ^ a b ISC-OB Event 898434 [IRIS].
- ^ ANSS: Canada 1946 .
- ^ International Seismological Centre, Bulletin of the ISC, Thatcham, United Kingdom [Event 898434].
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NGDCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ ANSS, "Canada 1946", Comprehensive Catalog, U.S. Geological Survey
- ^ The Magnitude 8.1 Queen Charlotte Island Earthquake of August 22, 1949 Archived 2008-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-11