Article

Moderate Vancouver Island Earthquake and San Bernardino Earthquake

A magnitude 4.3 moderate Vancouver Island earthquake and a magnitude 4.4 moderate San Bernardino earthquake impact the Pacific Northwest before 2015 ends.

Weaker than 1700’s Magnitude 9 Cascadia Subduction Mega-thrust The magnitude 4.7 Vancouver Island earthquake and the magnitude 4.4 San Bernardino earthquake are deep enough to cause no casualties and to generate no tsunamis, according to announcements on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015. Earthquakes Canada broadcasts the earthquake of 11:39 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at 4.3, then 4.7 magnitude, lower than the U.S. Geological Survey determination of magnitude 4.8. Earthquakes Canada confirms the ten-second earthquake’s epicenter as 19 kilometers (11.81 miles) northeast of the capital city, Victoria, and 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) east-southeast of Sidney. Twitter’s eyewitness tweets describe the no-casualties, no-injuries impacts of rattling windows, shaking houses, and shifting ground from Vancouver Island to Chilliwack, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, and Penticton. BC Hydro effectuates undisrupted electrical system service.

1946 Vancouver Island earthquake

Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Hazard Information Service - Earthquakes Canada: Damage photographs from the M7.3 Van — Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Weaker than 1946’s Magnitude 7.3 Vancouver Island Earthquake

Seismologists with Earthquakes Canada and Natural Resources Canada find the earthquake occurring at a below-surface depth of 58.7 kilometers (36.48 miles) under the Strait of Georgia.

John Cassidy, Natural Resources Canada seismologist and Sidney resident, gives importance to geology: “These deep earthquakes tend to have very few or, most often, no aftershocks.” He also holds that surfaces matter: “Most likely, people on soil will feel stronger shaking that will continue for a longer time period, compared to rock.”

Alison Bird, Earthquakes Canada seismologist and Vancouver resident, indicates depth’s importance in geo-physical terms since the offshore Juan de Fuca oceanic plate rarely generates major aftershocks. She judges clicking Earthquakes Canada’s “Did you feel it?” button as particularly important.

ShakeMap for Vancouver Island, British Columbia, earthquake, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

Pacific Northwest Seismic Network — US Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

ShakeMap for San Bernardino County, California, earthquake, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

California Integrated Seismic Network — US Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

Weaker than 1949’s Magnitude 8.1 Queen Charlotte Earthquake

Seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey know of more than 11,000 reports by residents of feeling the impact of British Columbia’s quake throughout northwest Washington state.

Seattle’s KOMO-TV lets Pacific Northwesterners know of the impact of the Vancouver Island earthquake upon the state through broadcasts of eyewitness accounts from Seattle area residents. Keller Lambton of Anacortes, Washington, mentions that “All of a sudden, my whole house was out of control” and that “It woke up the whole neighborhood.”

USGS seismologists note the same-day, 3-mile-deep (4.83-kilometer-deep), magnitude 4.4 San Bernardino earthquake near Cucamonga, San Andreas, and San Jacinto Faults at 5:48 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The epicenter originates 2.48 miles (4 kilometers) outside Devore in San Bernardino County.

Seattle, Washington earthquake, March 4, 2001: A large van was crushed by earthquake debris in a Seattle parking lot.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) News Photo by Kevin Galvin — Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Weaker than 2001’s Magnitude 6.8 Seattle, Washington Earthquake

San Bernardino’s evening earthquake provokes magnitude 3.2 and 3.8 aftershocks within the first minutes and a dozen tiny tremors until just before Vancouver Island’s night-time earthquake.

Officials qualify the San Bernardino and Vancouver Island earthquakes as wake-up calls because of respective proximity to the mega-earthquake-producing San Andreas Fault and Cascadia Subduction Zone. No extreme aftereffects remain other than news of Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain Expo and Millennium lines’ 90-minute-long shutdown to verify the guideway’s safety and tweets of temblors. Brett Gilley, national disaster instructor at the University of British Columbia, states: “I expect businesss will be selling earthquake kits today and that’s a good thing.”

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tweets for “your family and business to be ready.”

"Strongest Earthquake In Years Hits Victoria Area Of British Columbia Felt By Hundreds Of Thousands" (2:34)

Uploaded December 31, 2015, by wwwMOXNEWScom to YouTube ~ URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcbnH8wLSBo

Strongest Earthquake In Years Hits Victoria Area Of British Columbia Felt By Hundreds Of Thousands

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image Credits

1946 Vancouver Island earthquake
soil failure north of Campbell River on Kelsey Bay Highway; damage photograph from the M7.3 earthquake
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Hazard Information Service -- Earthquakes Canada: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1946_Kelsey_Bay_Highway_soil_failure.jpg; via Earthquakes Canada @ https://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/historic-historique/events/19460623-photo-en.php

ShakeMap for San Bernardino County, California, earthquake, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015
California Integrated Seismic Network: US Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program @ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci37507576#shakemap

ShakeMap for Vancouver Island, British Columbia, earthquake, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015
Pacific Northwest Seismic Network: US Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program @ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uw61114971#shakemap

Seattle, Washington earthquake, March 4, 2001: A large van was crushed by earthquake debris in a Seattle parking lot.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) News Photo by Kevin Galvin: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEMA_-_1433_-_Photograph_by_Kevin_Galvin_taken_on_03-04-2001_in_Washington.jpg

"Strongest Earthquake In Years Hits Victoria Area Of British Columbia Felt By Hundreds Of Thousands" (2:34)
Uploaded December 31, 2015, by wwwMOXNEWScom to YouTube ~ URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcbnH8wLSBo

FEMA poster 529 (9/2014) depicts a teacher and students in a classroom responding appropriately to first sign of an earthquake (Drop, Cover, and Hold On).
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program): Public Domain, via FEMA @ https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3266

Sources Consulted

Chan, Kenneth. 29 December 2015. “(UPDATED) Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Felt in Vancouver.” VanCity Buzz > Trending.

Available @ http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/12/vancouver-earthquake/

Crawford, Tiffany. 30 December 2015. “Moderate Earthquake That Struck Near Saanich Felt Across Lower Mainland.” The Vancouver Sun > News.

Available @ http://www.vancouversun.com/news/earthquake+magnitude+quake+strikes+near+saanich+felt+across+lower/11620989/story.html

“Did You Feel It? 4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Near Victoria, B.C.” Kiro TV > News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/49-magnitude-earthquake-near-victoria-canada/nptDH/

Edmiston, Jake; and Postmedia News. 30 December 2015. “B.C. Earthquake Shakes Victoria and Vancouver Area: Buildings Rattle But No Damage Reported.” National Post > News > Canada.

Available @ http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/earthquake-shakes-british-columbia-quake-measured-at-between-magnitude-4-3-and-4-8

“Here’s a Look at 5 of the Largest Earthquakes to Strike B.C.” Global News > Canada > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://globalnews.ca/news/2425915/heres-a-look-at-5-of-the-largest-earthquakes-to-strike-b-c/

Leung, Roberta. 30 December 2015. “Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Felt off B.C.’s Coast.” FigMedia > News.

Available @ http://figmedia.com/magnitude-4-3-earthquake-felt-in-vancouver/

Lum, Zi-Ann. 30 December 2015. “Victoria Earthquake Callers Prompt Police to Issue PSA About Using 911.” The Huffington Post > Edition> Canada > British Columbia.

Available @ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/12/30/victoria-earthquake-2015-911_n_8895480.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-british-columbia&ir=Canada+British+Columbia

“Magnitude-4.4 Earthquake Shakes Southern California Suburbs.” Globe Gazette > News > National > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://globegazette.com/news/national/magnitude--earthquake-shakes-southern-california-suburbs/article_82f5ad2e-41c9-5f7b-844d-8ca178843919.html

McElroy, Justin; and Talmazan, Yuliya. 30 December 2015. “No Damage, Injuries Reported After Earthquake Rattles B.C.’s South Coast.” Global News > Canada > British Columbia.

Available @ http://globalnews.ca/news/2425646/no-damage-injuries-reported-after-earthquake-rattles-b-c-s-south-coast/

Nagel, Jeff. 30 December 2015. “Earthquake Jolts B.C., Lights up Social Media.” Tri-City News > News.

Available @ http://www.tricitynews.com/news/earthquake-jolts-b-c-lights-up-social-media-1.2141886

“No Damage After Moderate Earthquake Strikes B.C.’s South Coast.” CTV News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/no-damage-after-moderate-earthquake-strikes-b-c-s-south-coast-1.2717811

“Quake of 4.8 Magnitude Hits Near Vancouver Island, Felt on North Olympic Peninsula.” Peninsula Daily News > News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20151230/NEWS/151239999

The Canadian Press. 30 December 2015. “Homes Shake, Residents Unnerved, But No Damage from Moderate B.C. Quake.” Yahoo! News Network > Yahoo News Canada.

Available @ https://ca.news.yahoo.com/homes-shake-residents-unnerved-no-damage-moderate-b-173138316.html

Thompson, Jerry. 2011. Cascadia’ Fault: The Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press.

Matheson, Darcy Wintonyk; and Weichel, Andrew. 30 December 2015. “Overnight Quake the Strongest Felt in 14 Years on B.C.’s South Coast.” CTV News Vancouver > News.

Available @ http://bc.ctvnews.ca/overnight-quake-the-strongest-felt-in-14-years-on-b-c-s-south-coast-1.2717808

FEMA poster 529 (9/2014) depicts a teacher and students in a classroom responding appropriately to first sign of an earthquake (Drop, Cover, and Hold On).

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program) — Public Domain, via FEMA

the end which is also the beginning — OpenClips, Public Domain, via Pixabay

Me and my purrfectly purrfect Maine coon kittycat, Augusta "Gusty" Sunshine

Updated September 11, 2026

Comments

DerdriuMarrinerMay 30, 2025

The American western coastline perhaps archives ancient artifacts of ancient earthquakes, from Alaska through Central and South America.

There's an argument in IberoAmerican archaeology about western coastal earthquakes interrupting the afore-indicated biogeography of such ancient cultures as the Chavin of Peru and the Maya of Guatemala and Mexico.

Quipu is more than a counting implement. It lodges cultural and literary information.

Mightn't quipu matter in western-coastal American earthquake history and reconstruction?

DerdriuMarrinerSep 29, 2022

WriterArtist, Thank you for stopping by and writing such an interesting account of your unsettling experience with the ground ceasing to be secure under one's feet.

My recentest experience is a bit less scary than yours since it took place during the day in the university library stacks. The carpeted floor moved quickly back and forth under my feet! And that was all there was to it where I was even as it was longer than a second and scarier elsewhere.

WriterArtistSep 29, 2022

With irreversible climate changes, we all are not immune of havocs caused by tsunami and earthquakes. My earliest experiences with earthquake was small tremors felt at midnight. I was a student then, my roommates came out of their hostel rooms and gathered in panic. Company of others gave courage and we could call it off when the vibrations stopped after sometime. I vividly remember the shaking of ground and my bed vibrating along with the chair and table.
I can understand how catastrophic a earthquake can be be with its casualties and shocking waves. Japan for one, has taken preventive steps to tackle earthquake disasters.

DerdriuMarrinerAug 4, 2017

frankbeswick, Is it a case of the unknown earthquake casualty or is the person's name known? I've been through two, one in Utah and another in Virginia (about which I wrote for Wizzley). In both cases, the floor moved back and forth quickly under my feet, almost like the experience of skating backward and forward.

frankbeswickAug 1, 2017

Britain does not suffer very bad quakes, I have only personally experienced three, the worst being a magnitude 2, which was part of an earthquake cluster of mainly magnitude ones, though we have had larger. No one was hurt, in fact Britain's recorded death toll from quakes is one, in the eighteenth century.

Cumbre Vieja will cause Atlantic-wide problems, but when we don't now. However, by the time the wave hits Britain it will have diminished in size, and it is Eastern America that will take the brunt. Our South Coast has cliffs that can take a direct hit. But any tsunami coming from the South West will vary in its effects according to the varying sea bed and coastal conditions that it meets on its way.

DerdriuMarrinerAug 1, 2017

frankbeswick, Yikes! I hope that the United Kingdom has effective earthquake and tsunami preparedness.
Speaking of Krakatoa, did you know that some scientists believe that the sky in Edvard Munch's The Scream art work reflects the influence of that volcanic eruption on Oslo's skies? There's a recent alternate interpretation of it as mother-of-pearl cloud configurations in an article by Mariëtte Le Roux, Weird Clouds May Have Inspired 'The Scream,' for Phys.Org April 24, 2017.

frankbeswickJul 29, 2017

It is not widely known that the tsunami from Krakatoa hit Britain. Ok, by that time it was 4 centimetres high, but it was measured. I have thought about the issue and am concerned that any shock might cause Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic island off Africa, to have a submarine landslide, which will cause tsunamis to hit the Eastern USA and the coast of Britain.Some time in the next ten thousand years it will happen, but I can wait. But it could happen any time, and I have a daughter who dwells near the coast in West Britain.

DerdriuMarrinerJul 29, 2017

frankbeswick, Amen! It's a scary scenario if all the weak points from coastal and offshore Canada, the United States and Mexico become actively problematic at the same time and if area nuclear power stations find their back-ups failing like Fukushima's did.

frankbeswickJul 29, 2017

A mega-quake would have repercussions across the whole Pacific region, possibly with world wide implications.

DerdriuMarrinerJul 28, 2017

CruiseReady, The truly scary version is a mega-earthquake that runs from coastal North America down through Central America!

CruiseReadyJul 27, 2017

Amazing information, DerdriuMarriner ! I never would have guessed those areas as quake prone, either. (An uncle and aunt lived through the Alaska one when I was quite young.) Hopefully, one day, we'll find out how to predict the big ones ahead of bime. It's their sudden and unforecast onset that makes them far more terrifying than hurricanes, I think.

DerdriuMarrinerJan 7, 2016

blackspanielgallery, Most geophysicists did not think of Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest as other than a seismically quiet area until geologists who were not trained in earthquakes but who brought a fresh look to their study started examining the great Alaska and Mexico earthquakes of the previous century. Now they're all talking about when the Cascadia Subduction Zone is going to produce the Big One and whether it will be a partial or a full rupture with the latter possibly involving faults from California through Central America.

blackspanielgalleryJan 1, 2016

I have never guessed Vancouver has earthquakes.

Weaker than 1946’s Magnitude 7.3 Vancouver Island Earthquake

Seismologists with Earthquakes Canada and Natural Resources Canada find the earthquake occurring at a below-surface depth of 58.7 kilometers (36.48 miles) under the Strait of Georgia.

Weaker than 1949’s Magnitude 8.1 Queen Charlotte Earthquake

Seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey know of more than 11,000 reports by residents of feeling the impact of British Columbia’s quake throughout northwest Washington state.

Weaker than 2001’s Magnitude 6.8 Seattle, Washington Earthquake

San Bernardino’s evening earthquake provokes magnitude 3.2 and 3.8 aftershocks within the first minutes and a dozen tiny tremors until just before Vancouver Island’s night-time earthquake.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tweets for “your family and business to be ready.”

Image Credits

Sources Consulted

Chan, Kenneth. 29 December 2015. “(UPDATED) Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Felt in Vancouver.” VanCity Buzz > Trending.

Available @ http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/12/vancouver-earthquake/

Crawford, Tiffany. 30 December 2015. “Moderate Earthquake That Struck Near Saanich Felt Across Lower Mainland.” The Vancouver Sun > News.

Available @ http://www.vancouversun.com/news/earthquake+magnitude+quake+strikes+near+saanich+felt+across+lower/11620989/story.html

“Did You Feel It? 4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Near Victoria, B.C.” Kiro TV > News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/49-magnitude-earthquake-near-victoria-canada/nptDH/

Edmiston, Jake; and Postmedia News. 30 December 2015. “B.C. Earthquake Shakes Victoria and Vancouver Area: Buildings Rattle But No Damage Reported.” National Post > News > Canada.

Available @ http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/earthquake-shakes-british-columbia-quake-measured-at-between-magnitude-4-3-and-4-8

“Here’s a Look at 5 of the Largest Earthquakes to Strike B.C.” Global News > Canada > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://globalnews.ca/news/2425915/heres-a-look-at-5-of-the-largest-earthquakes-to-strike-b-c/

Leung, Roberta. 30 December 2015. “Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Felt off B.C.’s Coast.” FigMedia > News.

Available @ http://figmedia.com/magnitude-4-3-earthquake-felt-in-vancouver/

Lum, Zi-Ann. 30 December 2015. “Victoria Earthquake Callers Prompt Police to Issue PSA About Using 911.” The Huffington Post > Edition> Canada > British Columbia.

Available @ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/12/30/victoria-earthquake-2015-911_n_8895480.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-british-columbia&ir=Canada+British+Columbia

“Magnitude-4.4 Earthquake Shakes Southern California Suburbs.” Globe Gazette > News > National > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://globegazette.com/news/national/magnitude--earthquake-shakes-southern-california-suburbs/article_82f5ad2e-41c9-5f7b-844d-8ca178843919.html

McElroy, Justin; and Talmazan, Yuliya. 30 December 2015. “No Damage, Injuries Reported After Earthquake Rattles B.C.’s South Coast.” Global News > Canada > British Columbia.

Available @ http://globalnews.ca/news/2425646/no-damage-injuries-reported-after-earthquake-rattles-b-c-s-south-coast/

Nagel, Jeff. 30 December 2015. “Earthquake Jolts B.C., Lights up Social Media.” Tri-City News > News.

Available @ http://www.tricitynews.com/news/earthquake-jolts-b-c-lights-up-social-media-1.2141886

“No Damage After Moderate Earthquake Strikes B.C.’s South Coast.” CTV News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/no-damage-after-moderate-earthquake-strikes-b-c-s-south-coast-1.2717811

“Quake of 4.8 Magnitude Hits Near Vancouver Island, Felt on North Olympic Peninsula.” Peninsula Daily News > News > December 30, 2015.

Available @ http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20151230/NEWS/151239999

The Canadian Press. 30 December 2015. “Homes Shake, Residents Unnerved, But No Damage from Moderate B.C. Quake.” Yahoo! News Network > Yahoo News Canada.

Available @ https://ca.news.yahoo.com/homes-shake-residents-unnerved-no-damage-moderate-b-173138316.html

Thompson, Jerry. 2011. Cascadia’ Fault: The Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press.

Matheson, Darcy Wintonyk; and Weichel, Andrew. 30 December 2015. “Overnight Quake the Strongest Felt in 14 Years on B.C.’s South Coast.” CTV News Vancouver > News.