Canada earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 16 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 16 km SE of Oak Bay, Canada on Sun, Mar 8, 1981, 8:35 PM PST (04:35 UTC), 40 km (25 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.3 13 km WNW of Orcas, Washington. This one was a foreshock.

Oak Bay forecastMore in Canada

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.1 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-03-09 04:35:47 UTC
Depth
40.4 km (25.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
48.328° N, 123.177° 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.

Location uncertainty
About 0.7 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.11
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
62°
Stations used
21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 30 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.55 km ENE of Orcas, Washington · 16631 days ago · 16 km deep · 39 km away
  2. 1.616 km WNW of Langford, Canada · 16630 days ago · 25 km deep · 44 km away
  3. 1.56 km SE of Freeland, Washington · 16625 days ago · 50 km deep · 66 km away
  4. 2.313 km WNW of Orcas, Washington · 16625 days ago · 17 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 2.47 km SSE of Coupeville, Washington · 16617 days ago · 25 km deep · 44 km away
  6. 2.02 km WNW of Belfair, Washington · 16611 days ago · 1 km deep · 100 km away
  7. 2.24 km S of Coupeville, Washington · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 39 km away
  8. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  9. 2.07 km NNE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16609 days ago · 7 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 1.9Washington · 16608 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  11. 2.57 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  12. 1.77 km NE of Hoodsport, Washington · 16603 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  13. 1.68 km WNW of Alger, Washington · 16601 days ago · -1 km deep · 66 km away
  14. 1.69 km ESE of Salt Spring Island, Canada · 16600 days ago · 20 km deep · 52 km away
  15. 2.54 km SSW of Gorst, Washington · 16599 days ago · 24 km deep · 100 km away
  16. 1.84 km SSW of Hamilton, Washington · 16597 days ago · 3 km deep · 87 km away
  17. 1.711 km NNE of North Saanich, Canada · 16595 days ago · 14 km deep · 49 km away
  18. 2.43 km ENE of Sedro-Woolley, Washington · 16593 days ago · 3 km deep · 75 km away
  19. 1.56 km SSE of Alger, Washington · 16592 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
  20. 1.77 km NNW of Kingston, Washington · 16587 days ago · 29 km deep · 70 km away
  21. 1.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16586 days ago · 0 km deep · 94 km away
  22. 1.54 km WSW of Chico, Washington · 16584 days ago · 12 km deep · 87 km away
  23. 2.14 km WSW of Chico, Washington · 16584 days ago · 13 km deep · 88 km away
  24. 1.76 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 0 km deep · 94 km away
  25. 2.05 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 5 km deep · 95 km away
  26. 1.65 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 1 km deep · 94 km away
  27. 2.56 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 1 km deep · 95 km away
  28. 1.55 km NNE of Oso, Washington · 16579 days ago · 0 km deep · 93 km away
  29. 1.5Washington · 16577 days ago · 1 km deep · 94 km away
  30. 1.52 km SW of Roosevelt, Washington · 16576 days ago · 25 km deep · 98 km away

Before

  1. 1.613 km NNE of Orcas, Washington · 16638 days ago · 9 km deep · 48 km away
  2. 1.512 km E of Acme, Washington · 16645 days ago · -1 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event uw10101058. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:50 AM UTC.