Earthquake.now

M1.9 Earthquake near Cowichan Bay, Canada — 12 July 2026

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.9 was recorded near Cowichan Bay, Canada on , with an epicentre 12 km south of Cowichan Bay, at a focal depth of 23.7 km. It ranked as the 8th strongest of 16 earthquakes recorded in Canada in the preceding 30 days.

1.9 Micro

Time (UTC): 2026-07-12 17:13:14

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.9 (micro)

Focal depth: 23.7 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 48.6212, -123.6450

Location: 12 km S of Cowichan Bay, Canada

Country: Canada

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake radiates roughly 12 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 58, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 08:58 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.

This event was deeper than 95% of the 460 earthquakes recorded in Canada in our catalogue and stronger than 56% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 48.6212, -123.6450 — 12 km south of Cowichan Bay. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.7 earthquake 8 km west-northwest of here on 28 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Anacortes (67 km east-southeast), Alger (97 km east), Aldergrove East (101 km east-northeast) and Acme (115 km east).

Why the 24 km depth matters

At 24 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.9 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

19 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.9.

3 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.8 event near Sechelt on 21 February 2025. This M1.9 event released about 19,234 times less energy than that event.

176 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 14 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the July 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Canada during July 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Canada

All recorded earthquakes in Canada →

Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Cowichan Bay?

It measured magnitude 1.9 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.9 earthquake radiates roughly 12 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Cowichan Bay?

The focus was 24 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Cowichan Bay earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 1.9 and a focal depth of 24 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Cowichan Bay happen?

12 July 2026 at 17:13 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

19 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 1.9.

How often do earthquakes happen near Cowichan Bay?

3 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.8 event near Sechelt on 21 February 2025. This M1.9 event released about 19,234 times less energy than that event.