6.6-magnitude earthquake hits off Vancouver Island, aftershocks reported – KIRO 7 News Seattle

The earthquake triggered an alert from the US National Tsunami Warning Center, which posted on the social networking site X a message saying “No tsunami expected” in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.

A number of aftershocks triggered the same alert, including a 5.0 magnitude aftershock about 80 miles southwest of Port Alice at 9:18 a.m. and a 4.9 magnitude aftershock about 105 miles southwest of Port Alice at 10:34 a.m.

According to the Washington Department of Emergency Management, the 6.6 magnitude earthquake near Port Alice would have triggered the earthquake early warning system if it had been on the ground, but since the shaking did not reach the ground, it was not activated.

They also took this opportunity to remind people of the earthquake early warning system, USGS ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning SystemIt is an application that is downloaded to your phone with the aim of sending a warning that shaking is about to happen. The system uses ground motion sensors to detect earthquakes that have already started, and estimate their size, location and impact. When the system detects a large force, it sends a warning a few seconds before shaking begins.

The app is available on all mobile phones in Washington and can send alerts via the MyShake app, a built-in program on Android phones, or the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system available on all phones.

The Washington Department of Emergency Management also reminded people that while we are seeing a lot of earthquakes in the Port Alice area, this activity is not completely unexpected.

“This is a seismically active area where three tectonic plates meet together, causing earthquakes to happen all the time,” the National Weather Service in Washington said.