Social media lit up with reports of strong shaking felt across southern B.C. as an earthquake struck off the coast of Saanich Tuesday night.

The US Geological Service confirmed the quake hit at around 11:40 p.m. and was centered off the west side of Sidney Island.

The service said the quake registered as a 4.8-magnitude shaker, while Earthquakes Canada put it at 4.7-magnitude, striking at a depth of approximately 50 kilometres below the earth's surface.

Seismologists said it was the strongest to hit in the Cascadia subduction zone since a 6.8-magnitude shaker struck off the coast of Seattle in 2001.

“Even people who live very close to the epicentre of the earthquake will be 50 or 60 kilometres away from where the shaking originated," said John Cassidy, with the Sidney-based Geological Survey of Canada. "So that makes the shaking not as strong as if it had been right up at the surface or very close to the surface. These deep earthquakes tend to have very few or, most often, no aftershocks."

Cassidy said the quake was far from what nature is capable of.

“Even one like last night that was felt by so many people is really a tiny, tiny earthquake compared to the really big ones that have happened in this region in the past,” he said.

No tsunami, injuries or damage were expected from the quake, and BC Hydro did not report any power outages as a result.

Shaking was reported in Greater Victoria and as far away as Nanaimo and parts of Metro Vancouver.

In Vancouver, TransLink shut down two if its SkyTrain lines until staff could ensure guideways were safe.

Hundreds of calls reportedly poured in to 911 from frightened people asking about or reporting the quake, prompting officials to remind them not to call unless it's an immediate emergency.

“We had multiple calls right after asking if it was an earthquake. That’s not the message we want people to understand. If you think it’s an earthquake, it’s an earthquake,” said Oak Bay Fire Chief Dave Cockle, who also serves as president of the BC Earthquake Alliance.

Mayor Lisa Helps called the relatively minor quake a “wake-up call” for residents, and urged them to take steps to prepare themselves in the event of a much more powerful tremor.

“Get out there and get those emergency preparedness kits ready,” she said.

The Canadian Red Cross is also urging people to not just have supplies – but also come up with a plan in case of a disaster.

That includes things like communicating with your family about what to do in an earthquake, knowing your escape routes and meet-up points, and having a kit to last at least 72 hours.

The agency said it is also important to have a smaller emergency kit in your car, and that buying or making one is as easy as visiting a grocery or hardware store or pharmacy.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

Did you feel it?A 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Saanich Tuesday night, as social media lit up with reports of strong shaking felt across southern B.C.

Posted by CTV Vancouver Island on Wednesday, December 30, 2015