DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia — An earthquake that jolted people living in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta on Friday evening was slightly stronger than first thought, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale.
Natural Resources Canada initially said the earthquake was 5.3 in magnitude but later revised the figure.
The quake, which was felt as far away as Edmonton, was centered 40 kilometers northeast of Dawson Creek.
RCMP said Saturday there were no reports of structural damage, but several residences in the region experienced items being knocked from shelves and walls.
Police had been advised to expect an aftershock but said they received no reports of further tremors.
The region is not generally known for having earthquakes, and surprised residents didn’t know what hit them.
Wayne Cousins of British Columbia Hydro said as a precautionary measure, checks were made on the W. A. C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River, but there was no damage.
John Cassidy, a seismologist with the Geological Survey of Canada near Victoria, said the quake was a surprise and the largest earthquake ever recorded in the area in about 50 years of keeping records.
The previous largest was a 4.6 earthquake near Grande Prairie in 1970. In 1986, there was a quake farther west near Prince George, British Columbia, that measured 5.5.
