No damage as earthquake recorded off B.C. coast

VANCOUVER -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 has been recorded in the Pacific Ocean, off the northwestern tip of British Columbia.

Natural Resources Canada says the quake hit at 7:49 a.m. today.

The epicentre was 10 kilometres below the earth's crust.

In an online post, Natural Resources says there are no reports of damage and none would be expected.

The quake occurred in the seismically active area along the Cascadia subduction zone off Vancouver Island, where two plates of the earth's crust meet.

The government department's website says the squeezing of the plates causes about 300 small temblors every year in southwestern B.C., but warns the plates could eventually snap loose, generating a devastating offshore "subduction" earthquake with a magnitude of 9 or greater.