2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake
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| Date | October 27, 2012 |
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| Origin time | 8:04:08 p.m. (PDT) |
| Duration | 90 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.8 Mw |
| Depth | 17.5 km (10.9 mi) |
| Epicenter | 52°46′08″N 131°55′37″W / 52.769°N 131.927°WCoordinates: 52°46′08″N 131°55′37″W / 52.769°N 131.927°W |
| Type | Thrust |
| Areas affected | Canada |
| Max. intensity | V (Moderate) |
| Peak acceleration | .2g |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Casualties | None |
The 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake occurred just after 8:04 p.m. PDT on October 27. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of V (Moderate). The earthquake's epicentre was on Moresby Island of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). This was the second largest Canadian earthquake ever recorded by a seismometer, after the 1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake, about 135 kilometres (84 mi) away.
Strong shaking was felt throughout Haida Gwaii where residents in Masset, Skidegate, Sandspit, and Queen Charlotte City were evacuated to higher ground. Minor shaking was felt in Prince Rupert and in other cities of the Interior such as Prince George, Quesnel, and as far away as Kamloops. Electricity service was interrupted in Bella Coola.
Although the earthquake occurred on the Queen Charlotte Fault, a primarily strike-slip boundary between the Pacific and North American plates where the Pacific Plate moves approximately north-northwest with respect to the North America plate at a rate of about 50 mm/yr., the 2012 quake exhibited a thrust mechanism, more characteristic of the Cascadia Subduction Zone to the south.
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