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Detailed Analysis of the February 21, 2025 Sechelt Mw 4.7 Earthquake

Description: 

Within Southwest British Columbia (SWBC), the Sunshine Coast , extending from the northern boundary of Vancouver to the northern extent of the Georgia Strait, historically has a lower level of seismicity compared to the rest of SWBC, with no known earthquakes exceeding magnitude 4. On February 21, 2025, at 1: 26pm local time, SWBC was rattled by a rare M_w 4.7 (M_L 5.4) crustal earthquake that occurred at the tip of Salmon Inlet, 75 km northwest of Vancouver, BC. Due to the relatively low density of seismic monitoring and limited historical seismicity in the area, during the immediate response to the event there was significant uncertainty regarding the depth and focal mechanism. Detailed examination of earthquake depth, source mechanism analysis, and aftershock distribution indicate that the depth of this event is in fact deeper than the 1.5 km originally reported by Natural Resources Canada. Although peak ground accelerations exceeding 5% g were reported within 50 km of the epicenter, these levels of shaking are not reflected in reported intensities. Additional ground motion analysis and insights gained from remote sensing techniques will complement the analysis of this event and provide a better understanding of the seismic hazard in this region.

Session: Late-breaking on Recent and Future Large Earthquakes [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/15/2025

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Camille

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Poster Number: 143

Authors