M4.8 Earthquake 28 km W of Squamish, Canada — February 21, 2025
2025-02-21 21:26:32 UTC (2025-02-21) · approx. 1:26 PM UTC-8 local
Felt by 8,623 people across a wide area. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.5 (strong).
On February 21, 2025 at 21:26 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 28 km W of Squamish, Canada, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 49.6928°, -123.5454°. The earthquake was reported felt by 8,623 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.5 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 37 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 804, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Sechelt (population 5,977).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 5.5 (strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Moderate shaking that everyone in the area would feel. Sleeping people are awakened. Dishes and windows may break. Unstable objects may be knocked over.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 8,623 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 3,592,490 |
| MMI 4 | light | 703,214 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 16,556 |
Earthquake Details
-123.5454°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Squamish, Canada?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 28 km W of Squamish, Canada on February 21, 2025 at 21:26 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 8,623 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.5 (strong). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 49.6928°, -123.5454°, which is 28 km W of Squamish, Canada. The nearest populated place is Sechelt (population 5,977).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pfbs). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, February 21, 2025). M4.8 Earthquake 28 km W of Squamish, Canada — February 21, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pfbs/