A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled awake citizens in the Queen Charlotte Islands Tuesday morning, but authorities say no damage has been reported.
RCMP Sgt. Rob Knapton said he felt his house start to shake at about 7:30 in the morning, as he was preparing to leave for work.
"So far we haven't had any report of damages or injuries reported," he told CTV News Channel from the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Earthquakes Canada called the event a "strong earthquake" but no tsunami warning has been issued.
The Pacific Geoscience Centre in Sidney, B.C., said the quake was centred about 144 kilometres southeast of Queen Charlotte City, which is situated on the Islands' south tip.
The quake was felt as far south as Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and as far north as Kitimat.
Knapton said authorities have emergency plans prepared in case of a major earthquake or tsunami in the Queen Charlotte Islands, off British Columbia's northwestern coast.
The Mayor of Queen Charlotte City, Carol Kulesha, said the quake woke her out of a deep sleep. She told The Canadian Press quakes are not uncommon in the area.
"It was felt quite strongly across the Islands and many people described it as the strongest they've felt in several years, but this is one of the most seismically active regions in Canada and a 6.5 earthquake happens every few years," John Cassidy, a seismologist with the Geological Survey of Canada, told The Canadian Press.
Two aftershocks have been recorded, one of a 5.7-magnitude six minutes after the original and one measuring 3.4 at 8:15 PST. No damage was reported immediately after either of the aftershocks.
The quakes occurred near the Queen Charlotte Fault, which is often described as Canada's version of the San Andreas fault.
The largest quake to be recorded in the area was a 8.1-magntitude shaker in 1949.
With files from The Canadian Press
