A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred about 73 miles off the coast of Vancouver Island at 12:41 this afternoon. There are no reports of damage or injuries. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police dispatcher in Tofino, British Columbia, said most people there barely felt the quake.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says it has inspected area bridges and all appear undamaged.
A 6.4 magnitude quake is nothing to sneeze at, but this one appears to have been harmless. There are no tsunami advisories for the Washington or British Columbia coasts. As a precaution, the Washington Department of Transportation has sent inspectors to Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct, the 520 floating bridge and the Deception Pass Bridge.
You can monitor recent earthquake activity at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network website.
Here's the information from WSDOT's press release:
Inspection teams from the WSDOT are checking key transportation structures in the Puget Sound region after today’s earthquake near Vancouver Island. No damage has been found so far.
WSDOT crews have completed a visual inspection of the State Route 520 floating bridge and report no damage. They will do a more in-depth inspection in the coming hours.
The Alaskan Way Viaduct remains open and has been inspected visually, with no signs of damage. In addition, seismic sensors installed to trigger automatic gate closures to the structure show no impact from the Vancouver quake, now measured at 6.4. The sensors require an earthquake larger than 5.0 in the immediate vicinity before triggering gate closures.
Moveable bridges in the Seattle area, including the Montlake and 1st Avenue South bridges, also have been inspected, with no damage reported. Due to the location of the quake, WSDOT crews also were sent to Skagit and Whatcom counties, including the Deception and Canoe Pass bridges. No damage has been reported there.
