Worldwide, there are about 1,500 earthquakes of

magnitude 5 or higher every year

The Canadian Press Posted: Jan 20, 2014 3:21 PM PT
Last Updated: Jan 20, 2014 3:21 PM PT

Worldwide, there are about 1,500 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher
every year. Major earthquakes release far more energy than any man-made
explosion. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.3,
was approximately one million times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped
on Hiroshima. (Associated Press)

British Columbia has a history as Canada's hub of seismic activity, with fully half of the country's top 10 temblors taking place in that province.

Here are the five most significant earthquakes to hit the area:

1700

An earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher is considered major. The largest earthquakes in history have been of about magnitude 9. (CBC)

When a quake believed to have a magnitude of nine rolled through B.C.'s Cascadia Subduction Zone, the technology didn't exist to document it thoroughly.

But the tsunami generated by the temblor was chronicled in Japan, placing the exact date on Jan. 26.

First Nations folklore suggests the tsunami destroyed an entire village on Vancouver Island's Pachena Bay, leaving no survivors.

1946 - 7.3 magnitude

Chaos reigned on Vancouver Island when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck on Jun. 23, killing two people.

There were reports of extensive property damage as chimneys toppled and building facades crumbled. The quake also triggered landslides across the central part of the island.

1949 - 8.1 magnitude

On Aug. 22, Canada registered its largest earthquake since Confederation when a magnitude 8.1 tremor struck along the Queen Charlotte Fault (Canada's closest equivalent to the infamous San Andreas Fault in California).

Although the quake was felt as far north as the Yukon, the sparse population of the affected area meant there were no casualties.

1970 - 7.4 magnitude

The Queen Charlotte Fault struck again on Jun. 24, causing a magnitude 7.4 quake to hit the offshore Haida Gwaii region. Once again there were no fatalities.

2012 - 7.7 magnitude

When a 7.7-magnitude temblor rolled through the Haida Gwaii region on Oct. 27, it was felt across most of north-central B.C. including Prince Rupert and Quesnel. The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and serious social media chatter, but resulted in little property damage and no known fatalities.

Source: Earthquakes Canada

Largest earthquakes in B.C.

British Columbia has a history as Canada's hub of seismic activity, with fully half of the country's top 10 temblors taking place in that province. Here are the five most significant earthquakes to hit the area: