M3.2 earthquake 80 km SW of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 80 km SW of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada at 02:30 local time (09:30 UTC) on 15 Sept 2026, at a depth of 5 km, according to USGS.
19 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-16 20:36 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 3.2minor
local magnitude (Richter) (ml) - Depth
- 5 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-15 09:30:51 UTC
- Local: 15 Sept 2026, 02:30:51 (America/Vancouver)
- Epicentre
- 48.756° N, 125.619° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Port AlberniBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 20,712 | 80 km | INot felt |
| Qualicum BeachBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 9,303 | 108 km | INot felt |
| CourtenayBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 28,420 | 113 km | INot felt |
| NanaimoBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 90,504 | 131 km | INot felt |
| DuncanBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 22,199 | 141 km | INot felt |
| VictoriaBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 289,625 | 171 km | INot felt |
| VancouverBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 662,248 | 190 km | INot felt |
| SurreyBritish Columbia, Canada · pop. 568,322 | 207 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 18 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · UW, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · UWheadlinePacific Northwest Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 3.2 ml | 5 km | 48.76° N, 125.62° W | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Often felt by people at rest close to the epicentre, rarely causes damage.
It released roughly the energy of 888 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 5 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M3.2 releases about 30× the energy of M2.2, and its waves are about 9.5× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 888 kg of TNT vs 30 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M2.2. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
No later earthquakes have been recorded within 30 km so far. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id uw714102491. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS · UW (usgs:uw714102491). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M3.2 earthquake 80 km SW of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/uw714102491-m3-2-earthquake-80-km-sw-of-port-alberni-british-columbia-canada, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/uw714102491. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.