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Magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Vancouver Island felt in WA

By
FOX 13 Seattle
Earthquakes
Published July 20, 2026 10:55 AM PDT
Published July 20, 2026 10:55 AM PDT

The Brief

    • A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck offshore 129 miles southwest of Port McNeill, British Columbia, at 11:41 p.m. Sunday.
    • The shallow, 6.2-mile-deep quake produced mild shaking felt across Vancouver Island, Victoria, and parts of Western Washington, including Seattle.
    • No injuries or property damage were reported, and officials issued no tsunami warnings following the event.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck near Vancouver Island in British Columbia on Sunday night and was felt in places around Puget Sound. 

Magnitude 5.6 earthquake shakes near Vancouver Island in Canada

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck offshore 129 miles southwest of Port McNeill, British Columbia, at 11:41 p.m. Sunday. The shallow, 6.2-mile-deep quake produced mild shaking felt across Vancouver Island, Victoria, and parts of Western Washington, including Seattle. No injuries or property damage were reported, and officials issued no tsunami warnings following the event.

(USGS)

By the numbers:

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake hit at 11:41 p.m. about 129 miles southwest of Port McNeill, Canada, at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles.

Although the majority of people who reported feeling the earthquake to the USGS were on Vancouver Island and Victoria, B.C., there were multiple responses from Bellingham, Port Townsend, Seattle and Tacoma. 

Big picture view:

Geologists say damage typically does not occur unless an earthquake's magnitude exceeds 4.0 or 5.0. For this particular event, there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and no tsunami threats were issued.

What you can do:

Anyone who felt the earthquake is encouraged to report it to the USGS.

The Source: Information in this story comes from the United States Geological Survey.

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