Over 200 tiny tremors rumbled between Victoria and Seattle on Monday and Tuesday, according to Canadian seismologist, John Cassidy.
The tremors were so small that they were “not felt”, but the sheer amount of them occurring in 24 hours could potentially signal a larger seismic event, according to Cassidy.
Cassidy, who is also a UVic professor and known on twitter as the ‘Earthquake Guy’, said that burst could be the beginnings of an episodic tremor and slip (ETS).
See also:UVic completes installation of underwater earthquake early warning sensors
Several hundred tiny tremors (not felt) between #Victoria and #Seattle over the past 24 hours. Possibly the start of an early ETS? Stay tuned…
— John Cassidy (@earthquakeguy) March 13, 2019
What is ETS? https://t.co/urSgiNhwTU
ETS details and history from PNSN: https://t.co/jW7aCJPvpn pic.twitter.com/QJzQwXU2VL
An ETS is a colossal process that occurs deep below the Earth’s surface along fault lines between the boundaries of tectonic plates.
The tremors occur as a faults repeatedly slip slowly against each other for several centimeters over a period of several weeks. The tremors appear on seismic records as prolong, intermittent ground vibrations as opposed to earthquakes which create large, sharp, shockwaves that subside very quickly.
In BC, an ETS stresses the boundaries between the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate and North American plate. While an ETS is not dangerous on its own, it does raise the likelihood of a large earthquake occurring, though only slightly.
Episodic tremor and slips occur roughly every 14 months in the province.
In 2018, 2179 earthquakes were recorded in BC and western Alberta. The majority of them occurred offshore.
2179 earthquakes recorded across #BritishColumbia and western Alberta during the past 12 months. A typical pattern… most were offshore along the active plate boundary. Including four M>6; five M5-5.9, and 49 M4-4.9.
— John Cassidy (@earthquakeguy) January 31, 2019
26 earthquakes were felt@PreparedBC https://t.co/AearThnROJ pic.twitter.com/guLysDa5i5
Cassidy also reminds there is no need to panic but to be mindful every day we are one day closer to a big earthquake.
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