Locally generated tsunamis recorded on the coast of British Columbia

This study presents analyses and numerical simulations of local tsunamis generated by two recent earthquakes off the coast of British Columbia. The Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake (M w = 6.1) on 12 October 2001 generated waves that were recorded by tide gauges at Bamfield, Tofino, Winter Harbour and Port Hardy on the coast of Vancouver Island, with maximum measured wave heights of 11.3, 18.2, 22.7 and 14.5 cm, respectively. The Explorer Plate earthquake off Vancouver Island (M w = 6.6) on 2 November 2004 generated waves recorded only at Bamfield and Tofino, with lower heights of 7.5 cm and 10.8 cm, respectively. The generation of tsunamis by these moderate, M w = 6.1-6.6, local earthquakes suggests the possibility of destructive tsunamis from local sources other than the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This, in turn, has implications for tsunami hazards for this seismically active region of coastal North America.