Shaking a reminder of '46 quake

By Catherine Temple

Special to MidWeek

Saturday evening I was working at my computer, when I heard the tinkling of the Feng Shui chimes in my kitchen.

It was a strange sound, as I was alone in the house with my two cats, and my dog, so I got up to investigate and the chimes were gently swinging back and forth. A rather pleasant sound I must say, albeit somewhat disturbing as to the reason.

I then noticed the Tiffany lamp in the entrance hall swinging back and forth, and the same thing for the lamp in the dining room. It struck me we were having an earthquake. Obviously not a big one, but it did go on for more than just a few seconds.

The next morning I read on line that there was a 7.7 in Haida Gwaii. Well now that is something to worry about. Haida Gwaii is only 450 kilometres north of us. Weve all heard the stories about the big one coming our way, or we have seen on the news the devastating effect even a 6.5 can perform on the unsuspecting. Disconcerting, considering this is not the only warning we have received in recent years.

Was it not at this time last year that we felt the ground moving? There wasnt too much reported damage done, the schools were evacuated and a friend of mines chimney separated from her house, that was just a little expensive to rectify, but it certainly was not life threatening. But it could have been.

Take it up a few notches; position the epicenter closer to home on a 7.7, thats a big one, or mirror the devastating earthquake that rocked Strathcona Park, with devastation raining all the way to Read Island in 1946 at 7.2.

When Strathcona Park was shaken and it was not the first time; millions of tons of rock broke away from one of the 7,000 foot peaks of Mount Colonel Foster and avalanched down the side of the mountain, landing in what is now called Landslide Lake. Rock and debris filled the lake and overflowed the banks, creating a fresh water tidal wave that breached the shoreline and thundered down the Elk River Valley, carrying with it thousands of tons of trees, bushes and rock. You can still witness the effects of that quake today. Here we are 60 years later and this episode lays testament to the devastation an earthquake can cause, it also makes for an interesting hike along the Elk River Trail.

Originally posted here:
Shaking a reminder of '46 quake