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Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929
Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia

Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog       One-line catalog format

1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

  
Individual Event Report
Event #87 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
Felt in Victoria, but apparently not elsewhere. Milne says: "Slight shock in Victoria, like a heavy gun" and cites the British Colonist. Rasmussen refers to the Washington Standard, which states: "The earthquake at Victoria.-- ...: At three minutes past two o'clock on the 16th inst., a shock of an earthquake, accompanied by a loud subterranean report, was experienced in this city and environs. ... the tremor lasted about six seconds. Many sleepers were awakened by the shock, which caused the frame buildings to rock violently and bricks to grate and grind as if they were so many bones undergoing the crunching process between the jaws of some great monster. To some the report sounded like that of a heavy gun discharged from some vessel in the harbor. No damage was caused by the quake. ..."
TIME LOCATION MAGNITUDE MAX. INTENSITY FELT AREA
YR MO DAY HR MIN AM/PM Time
Type
LAT(N) LON(W) DEP
(km)
MAG Mag
Type
Felt
Plc.
Felt
St.
Inten-
sity
Int.
Type
Felt
Area
Felt
Area
Int.
Felt
Area
Units
1870  16    48.41  123.36        Victoria  B.C.           
N-WaS - 1526 WWC - 1637 - - N-WaS - 1526 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1526  Washington Standard  1870  March 26, pg 2, c. 3, 1870 
Transcription: The earthquake at Victoria.-- The Colonist thus alludes to the earthquake felt in that city on Wednesday of last week: At three minutes past two o'clock on the 16th inst., a shock of an earthquake, accompanied by a loud subterranean report, was experienced in this city and environs. The movement was from east to west and the tremor lasted about six seconds. Many sleepers were awakened by the shock, which caused the frame buildings to rock violently and bricks to grate and grind as if they were so many bones undergoing the crunching process between the jaws of some great monster. To some the report sounded like that of a heavy gun discharged from some vessel in the harbor. No damage was caused by the quake. We remember that in 1865, about 9 o'clock in the evening, a similar report and tremor were felt in this city. The California steamer was due at the time and hundreds of persons hurried to the wharves, under the impression that the phenomenon they had noticed was the result of the firing of her arrival gun.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1397  Milne, W.G., 1956, Seismic Activity in Canada, west of the 113th meridian 1841-1951: Canada Dominion Obs. Pub., V. 18, No. 7, pp. 119-146  1957   
Transcription: 1870 MARCH 16. 2:03 a.m. Slight shock in Victoria, like a heavy gun. Br. Col.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1637  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993. 
Transcription: 187003161003000 48417-123367W R 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
15  Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476  1967   
Transcription: 15 1870 Mar. 16 10:03 Victoria, B. C. 12 felt
 


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