M3.5 earthquake 10 km WSW of North Saanich, Canada
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 10 km WSW of North Saanich, Canada on Fri, Aug 18, 1978, 6:51 PM PDT (01:51 UTC), 32 km (20 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.6 13 km SSE of Oak Bay, Canada. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.5 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-19 01:51:19 UTC
- Depth
- 32.0 km (19.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 48.629° N, 123.550° W
- Region
- Canada
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | ML, local (Richter) | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 3.9 | Md, duration | Pacific Northwest Seismic Network | Final · ±0.07 · 3 stations |
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
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.613 km SSE of Oak Bay, Canada · 17572 days ago · 19 km deep · 40 km away
- 1.88 km SSE of Point Roberts, Washington · 17553 days ago · 4 km deep · 48 km away
- 2.030 km SE of Clallam Bay, Washington · 17538 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away
- 2.218 km NNW of Jamestown, Washington · 17537 days ago · 40 km deep · 47 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayCanada earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w40 (also filed as uw10847723). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:08 PM UTC.