M5.9 earthquake 277 km WSW of Tofino, Canada
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 277 km WSW of Tofino, Canada on Sat, Nov 20, 1971, 1:24 PM PST (21:24 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 230 km SW of Port McNeill, Canada. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-11-20 21:24:41 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 48.724° N, 129.637° W
- Region
- Canada
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayCanada earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem778692. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:10 PM UTC.