3.5-magnitude earthquake hits near Tsawwassen, B.C. [Video]

Many British Columbians were shaken awake early Friday morning when an earthquake struck in the Strait of Georgia, about 18 kilometres southwest of Tsawwassen.

Earthquakes Canada initially said the quake registered at a magnitude of 3.8, but its website later read 3.5. There were no reports of damage, and none would be expected, according to officials.

The shaking at 2:08 a.m. was felt across a wide region, including southern Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, and as far away as the Fraser Valley and Washington State, said John Cassidy, a Victoria-based seismologist with Natural Resources Canada.

The earthquake hit at a depth of 65 kilometres, within the oceanic Juan De Fuca plate.

“We’re in what’s called a subduction zone; we have an ocean plate from offshore Vancouver Island that’s moving towards us at about the same speed your fingernails grow,” Cassidy explained. “When it reaches North America just offshore, it starts sinking …