Real-time coverage of earthquake event — 200 km SW of Port McNeill, Canada — Pandita Data.
🌍 OPEN LIVE 3D EARTHQUAKE MAPA magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 200 km southwest of Port McNeill, British Columbia at 04:49 UTC on August 1, 2026, at a shallow depth of 10 km. No tsunami warning was issued and the USGS assigned a GREEN alert level, indicating minimal damage risk. The tremor was felt by nine people across Vancouver Island and nearby coastal communities, but no injuries or structural damage have been reported.
This moderate-magnitude event occurred within the Cascadia Subduction Zone—one of North America's most seismically active regions. Port McNeill, located on the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island, sits approximately 200 km above the Juan de Fuca Plate as it descends beneath the North American Plate at a rate of 1.6 cm per year. While today's magnitude 5.6 is well below the catastrophic potential of the zone, it serves as a reminder of the region's tectonic stress accumulation.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone extends 1,100 km from Cape Mendocino, California, to Cape Yakataga, Alaska. The Juan de Fuca Plate descends at an angle of approximately 20° into the Earth's mantle, generating crustal and intra-plate earthquakes at depths ranging from 5 to 50 km. Today's epicenter lies within the upper plate seismic zone—a region where compression and fault rupture occur in the overriding North American Plate. Historical records show this zone produces frequent magnitude 4–6 earthquakes; the last major event (magnitude 7.3) occurred in 1964 near Alaska.
At magnitude 5.6, this earthquake released approximately 45 megatons of TNT-equivalent energy. The shallow 10 km depth amplified ground shaking intensity near the epicenter but limited the felt area to a 150 km radius. Shallow earthquakes (depth <35 km) produce stronger surface waves and higher peak ground accelerations than deeper events of equivalent magnitude, making depth a critical damage predictor. The USGS PAGER (Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response) system calculated that potential economic losses remain minimal due to the remote offshore location and low population density.
Shallow events (<70 km): Intense shaking over smaller areas; greater damage potential per magnitude unit. Deep events (>300 km): Less shaking, larger felt area, minimal surface damage. Today's 10 km depth classifies this as a crustal earthquake—the most damaging type for nearby infrastructure.
Port McNeill (population ~2,500) is the nearest population centre, located 200 km northeast of the epicenter. The region experienced light-to-moderate shaking (Modified Mercalli Intensity II–III), sufficient to be felt but below threshold for structural damage. No reports of tsunami generation were issued, as the epicentre lies on an upper-plate normal fault—which generally does not displace water masses significantly. British Columbia's earthquake early warning system (ShakeCast) operated as designed, with alert dissemination to emergency management agencies within seconds of origin time.
Use Pandita Data's real-time earthquake 3D simulation to visualize plate boundaries, rupture propagation, and seismic hazard maps across the Cascadia region. Interactive tools help communities understand their risk and refine emergency response protocols. For live seismic monitoring, visit the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program at earthquake.usgs.gov.
FAQ::[ {"q":"What caused this earthquake?","a":"The Juan de Fuca Plate descending beneath North America generated