PNSN Logo
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 #55 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs                                           
This earthquake appears to have been felt only in Victoria, and the accounts from the Victoria papers are terse: "A sharp shock of an earthquake was felt in this city a few minutes after 9 o'clock last night."
The account from the Pacific Tribune of Olympia is considerably more florid: "An Earthquake.-- Our Victoria exchange mentions a severe shock of an earthquake which occurred in that city on the 29th ult. Two distinct shocks were felt, a few seconds intervening. Brick and frame buildings trembled violently, and in some instances the plastering was cracked. The oscillation was from North to South and lasted about half a minute."
Earlier catalog entries for this event have suggested it was larger. Holden (1887) cites Fuchs: "1865. August 25; 9 p.m. Heavy shock at Vancouver Island, lasting two minutes; later two more shocks.-Fuchs." and Holden (1898) adds a reference to Plummer (Publications Astronomical Society of the Pacific, V. 8, p. 78, 1896) who made the assignment of RF Intensity IV at Victoria. Bradford (1935) gives an RF Intensity of VI, which is repeated in Townley and Allen (1939) , who suggest that it was probably felt in Washington. Earthquake History of the United States (1973) also gives an intensity of VI ( but MM), and says "Probably felt strongly on Olympic Peninsula, Wash ."
Unless local reports from Vancouver Island can be found, it seems reasonable to conclude that this is a much smaller event than previously cataloged.
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
1865  8  25  9  15  P  L  48.50  123.50        Victoria  B.C.           
N-Vic - 1585 USEQS - 914 - - N-Vic - 1585 -

Underlying Source Material
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1628  Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished  1981  Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington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: 186508260500000 48500-123500 VI NO 6 01
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1032  Townley, S. D. and M. W. Allen, 1939, Descriptive Catalog of Earthquakes of the Pacific Coast of the United States 1769-1928, Chap. III Earthquakes in Washington, 1883-1928, BSSA, V. 29, No. 1, pp. 259-268  1939   
Transcription: 1865 August 25. 9 p.m. VI. Vancouver Island. Heavy shock lasting two minutes; later two more shocks.-Fuchs. (IV) at Victoria.-P. [Probably felt in Washington.]
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1585  Daily British Colonist  1865  Saturday morning, August 26, 1865; p. 3, c. 1 
Transcription: Earthquake.--At a quarter past 9 o'clock last night two distinct shocks were felt oscillating from North to South. A few seconds intervened between the first and second shock.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
202  Bradford, Donald C., 1935, Seismic History of the Puget Sound Basin, BSSA, V. 25, No. 2, pp. 138-153  1935   
Transcription: 1865 August 25, 9 p.m.; VI; heavy shock at Vancouver Island, B.C., lasting two minutes; later two more shocks. Fuchs. VI at Victoria. P.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1396  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: 1865 AUGUST 25. 9 p.m. VI Victoria. Heavy shock on Vancouver Island lasting two minutes, followed later by two more shocks. BSSA
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
7  Rasmussen, Norman, 1967, Washington state earthquakes 1840 through 1965, BSSA V. 57, No. 3, pp. 463-476  1967   
Transcription: 7 1865 Aug. 26 05: Vancouver Is. VI 1, 4
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
914  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: 1865 Aug. 25 21:00 Vancouver Island, B.C 48.5 123.5 - VI-4 3.25,25
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1586  The British Columbian  1865  Saturday, August 26, 1865; p. 3, c. 3 
Transcription: Earthquake.--A sharp shock of an earthquake was felt in this city a few minutes after 9 o'clock last night.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
973  U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96  1973   
Transcription: 1865. August 25. Vancouver Island, B.C. Strong shock. Probably felt strongly on Olympic Peninsula, Wash.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1588  Washington Standard  1865  Saturday Sept. 2, 1865; p. 2, c. 3 
Transcription: An Earthquake.--The Victoria Chronicle says that a severe shock of an earthquake was felt in that city on Monday evening last. The movement was from west to east, and lasted for fully half a minute.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
435  Holden, Edward S., 1887, List of Recorded Earthquakes in California, Lower California, Oregon, and Washington Territory  1887  Printed by Direction of the Regents of the University of California, Sacremento, California, 
Transcription: 1865. August 25; 9 p.m. Heavy shock at Vancouver Island, lasting two minutes; later two more shocks.-Fuchs.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1587  The Pacific Tribune  1865  Saturday Sept. 2, 1865; p. 2, c. 1 
Transcription: An Earthquake.-- Our Victoria exchange mention a severe shock of an earthquake which occurred in that city on the 29th ult. Two distinct shocks were felt, a few seconds intervening. Brick and frame buildings trembled violently, and in some instances the plastering was cracked. The oscillation was from North to South and lasted about half a minute.
 
Source ID Publication Pub Date Pub Details
1217  Holden, E.S., 1898, A Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast 1769-1897, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1087  1898   
Transcription: 1865. August 25; 9 P.M.; VI. Heavy shock at Vancouver Island, lasting two minutes; later two more shocks.___Fuchs. (IV) at Victoria.__P.
 


UW Logo ESS Logo