M2.8 Earthquake 6 km E of North Saanich, Canada — March 24, 2021
2021-03-24 19:57:53 UTC (2021-03-24) · approx. 11:57 AM UTC-8 local
Felt by 52 people across nearby locations.
On March 24, 2021 at 19:57 UTC, a magnitude 2.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 6 km E of North Saanich, Canada, at a depth of 19.6 km and coordinates 48.6725°, -123.3307°. This earthquake was detected by 25 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 141, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 274 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 55 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 52 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
Earthquake Details
-123.3307°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.8 earthquake near North Saanich, Canada?
The magnitude 2.8 earthquake that struck 6 km E of North Saanich, Canada on March 24, 2021 at 19:57 UTC had a depth of 19.6 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 48.6725°, -123.3307°, which is 6 km E of North Saanich, Canada.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: uw61719766). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, March 24, 2021). M2.8 Earthquake 6 km E of North Saanich, Canada — March 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/uw61719766/