Latest news with #TaimiMulder
30-07-2025
- Climate
Tsunami advisory cancelled for B.C. coast after massive Pacific earthquake
The National Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled a tsunami advisory for coastal B.C. early Wednesday. Residents of much of coastal B.C. were asked to avoid beaches and shorelines after a tsunami advisory (new window) was issued late Tuesday. An advisory is the second step in a three-tiered warning system, and it means strong currents are likely. Officials say an advisory means significant flooding isn't expected, but strong currents could be dangerous for those near the water. The advisory covers B.C.'s central and north coasts, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spans Juan de Fuca Strait and Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. The District of Tofino on Vancouver Island had expected tsunami activity to reach the community overnight. A tsunami advisory for multiple parts of the B.C. coast was cancelled early Wednesday following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Centre (new window) says there was a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, with B.C. officials saying it occurred around 135 kilometres southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk around 4:25 p.m. PT. A tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, was issued for B.C.'s north and central coasts, including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spanned the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. Enlarge image (new window) B.C.'s tsunami zones are listed in this graphic from EmergencyInfoBC. On Tuesday, a tsunami advisory was issued for Zones A through D. Photo: Fournie par EmergencyInfoBC A tsunami advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials. Significant inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory, but coastal zones may be at risk due to strong currents, reads an Emergency Info B.C. advisory. The advisory adds strong waves and currents could drown or injure people who are in the water, and currents at beaches, harbours, marinas or bays could be especially dangerous. It had earlier advised boat operators in areas under a tsunami watch to move their boats out to sea to a depth of at least 55 metres if time and conditions permit, and avoid shallow water and inlets if they are already at sea. A tsunami warning, which is the highest level, means that residents should move away from the water immediately. Enlarge image (new window) This graphic shows the three-tiered tsunami warning system used by officials in B.C. As of Tuesday night, most of the B.C. coast is under an advisory. Photo: EmergencyInfoBC Taimi Mulder, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said that even if forecasted tsunami wave heights were small, people should heed the warnings to stay away from the water. One still wants to be away from the water, and the water's edge, at that time, she told CBC News late Tuesday night. Because unpredictable things could happen, and the currents will be much stronger than normal, and the water will be more confused-looking than normal. WATCH | Tsunami warnings issued after quake: Tofino beaches closed The District of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island said in an emergency notification around 7 p.m. PT that people shouldn't go to the shore to observe the waves, and later told CBC News in an email that it had closed all beaches until further notice. Emergency Info B.C. says Langara Island, off the coast of Haida Gwaii, saw tsunami waves around 10:05 p.m. PT, but the wave height was forecast to be less than 30 centimetres. Early Wednesday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its tsunami bulletin to include regional observations, and for B.C., that included an observed maximum tsunami height of 27 centimetres at Winter Harbour, and 21 centimetres at Tofino. Enlarge image (new window) The Tofino coastline is seen from above in this stock image. The community on the west coast of Vancouver Island said that tsunami activity was forecast to reach it by 11:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Photo: Shutterstock / fokke baarssen John Cassidy, another seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said Tuesday's earthquake was the type of seismic movement that was most likely to generate a tsunami. Those waves can travel across the Pacific.... They can travel a long way when they're out in the open ocean, he told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West , just before 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. The tsunami waves travel at about the same speed as a jet, he added. WATCH | When the first tsunami watch was issued for much of B.C.'s coast: If the magnitude of 8.8 is confirmed, the earthquake would be among the top 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900 (new window) , according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It would be the strongest earthquake since the devastating 2011 earthquake that struck near the Tōhoku region of Japan, which had a magnitude of 9.0 and triggered a tsunami wave more than 40 metres high. It's a larger earthquake than we've seen,... in my lifetime anyway, that's that close [and] could potentially affect our B.C. coast, said Elmer Frank, chief councillor of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose traditional territories encompass Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Frank said Tuesday's earthquake and tsunami scare is a reminder for his community to keep up on emergency drills and preparedness. Enlarge image (new window) Elmer Frank, chief councillor of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, said the nation regularly communicates with its members about what needs to be done in an emergency situation. Photo: CBC No major tsunami expected to hit Hawaii The U.S. Geological Survey, in an updated measurement on Tuesday evening, said the quake hit at a depth of 20.7 kilometres. In the U.S. state of Hawaii, waves of up to 1.7 metres impacted the islands before the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reduced its warning level for the state late Tuesday, saying no major tsunami was expected (new window) . Enlarge image (new window) Dennis and Devin Delatorre stand in the back of their truck waiting to return home on Tuesday after evacuating their Ewa Beach home in Kapolei Regional Park, Hawaii. Photo: Associated Press / Michelle Bir Initial wave impacts from the leading edge of the tsunami measured several feet at some monitoring stations, but 'follow-up' waves over the next several hours are often larger, said Maui County in a recent update (new window) . Cars jammed streets and highways in Hawaii's capital of Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline. Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the 8.8 magnitude quake's epicentre flooded as residents fled inland, and frothy, white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan. People went to evacuation centres in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported Wednesday. Russian authorities said several people were injured, without giving a figure. In Japan, at least one person was injured. Enlarge image (new window) A pedestrian walks past a TV screen displaying a tsunami warning in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photo: Associated Press / Louise Delmotte Akshay Kulkarni (new window) · CBC News · Journalist Akshay Kulkarni is an award-winning journalist who has worked at CBC British Columbia since 2021. Based in Vancouver, he is most interested in data-driven stories. You can email him at With files from All Points West, Rafferty Baker and The Associated Press
CBC
27-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Possible industry-related earthquake jolts northern Alberta Saturday night
Social Sharing Some residents of northwestern Alberta reported feeling an earthquake that was recorded in the region on Saturday night. Earthquakes Canada said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.2, about 36 kilometres south of the city of Grande Prairie, Alta. The quake is possibly an industry-related event, Earthquakes Canada said. Taimi Mulder, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada at the Pacific Geoscience Centre in Sidney, B.C., said the earthquake was reported at 9:13 p.m. About 70,000 people live in Grande Prairie, located about 460 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. "There was one report from someone quite close to the epicentre of the earthquake. They felt two sharp jolts," Mulder told CBC News in an interview Sunday. "Most people in the Grande Prairie area felt it very lightly." No damage was reported. "Usually damage starts at around magnitude 5.0 and 5.5, depending on how close you are to the event and how well designed the building was, but our building code is very good and for buildings built after 1985. I would not expect to see damage," Mulder said. Mulder said the earthquake was in a region that has previously seen industry-related events, including two in February. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake was reported Feb. 20, about 60 kilometres south of Grande Prairie. It was lightly felt in the region including Edson, Jasper, Hinton and Edmonton. A 4.0 magnitude quake was reported in the same area earlier that same day. CBC News has reached out to Alberta Energy Regulator for more details. Earthquakes Canada's magnitude scale shows that quakes between 3.5 and 5.4 are "often felt, but rarely cause damage."
