Moderate earthquake rattles Nanaimo & Oceanside

NANAIMO — A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has been recorded just north of Sechelt.

A strong, brief jolt was felt through much of the Nanaimo and Oceanside region at 1:26 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, when the tremor struck roughly 27 kilometres north of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. It occurred at a depth of around one kilometre, according to Earthquakes Canada.

Reports to NanaimoNewsNOW described the quake as “a solid jolt” in Nanaimo, while others in Ucluelet said it was felt strongly there too.

No tsunami warnings or advisories have been issued, and none are expected, by the US Geological Service.

It was originally measured as a 4.7, before being upgraded to a 5.1 magnitude.

The actual magnitude is expected to fluctuate somewhat as different readings come in.

There have been no reports of damage, however NanaimoNewsNOW has reached out to local agencies to confirm.

The City of Nanaimo said in a post to social media, “in an abundance of caution, City staff are assessing sites across our region. We are checking on critical infrastructure, personnel and neighbours to ensure all are safe.”

We’ll update this story as information becomes available.

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