Strong quake hits off Canadian islands in Pacific Ocean

Updated: 2015-04-25 12:40

(Xinhua)

  Comments() Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按钮 0

VANCOUVER - A strong earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck in the Pacific Ocean waters just off the southern tip of Haida Gwaii, an archipelago on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, at 6:56 am Friday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

USGS monitored the epicenter of the quake at 51.7685 degrees north latitude and 130.6951 degrees west longitude.

There were no casualties or damage reported.

USGS also recorded a minor quake of 4.2 magnitude in the interior area of the British Columbia, which shook areas just south of the border with the US state of Idaho around 10:43 pm Thursday.

The National Tsunami Warning Center of the United States said there would be no tsunami from Friday's strong quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Earthquakes are common around the Haida Gwaii region as it is near the junction of three of the earth's tectonic plates. As recently as Tuesday, a tremor measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was monitored in the same region. Before that, another powerful quake of 7.7 magnitude was monitored to hit Haida Gwaii in October 2012, and the quake was the second largest of the kind reported in the Canadian history.