Canada earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 10 km ESE of Salt Spring Island, Canada

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 10 km ESE of Salt Spring Island, Canada on Sun, May 16, 1976, 1:35 AM PDT (08:35 UTC), 62 km (39 mi) below the surface.

North Cowichan forecastMore in Canada

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1976-05-16 08:35:14 UTC
Depth
62.0 km (38.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.800° N, 123.356° W
Region
Canada
Strongest shaking
IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated
IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration
2.1% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
-0.4 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used
184

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayCanada earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000gcd (also filed as ushis3406, iscgem714153, uw10841418). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:42 PM UTC.