Did you know that a UVic-lead research team recently found an active fault line running right underneath Greater Victoria? Up until now, geologists had known about the 30 to 60 kilometer-long fault line extending right across downtown Victoria, but believed it to be inactive.

Here are a few of the new facts:

• It’s name is the Leech River fault.
• It may link up with another fault line in northwestern Washington.
• The fault could potentially be hazardous and cause damage.
• The fault is described as crustal, similar to the one causing New Zealand’s earthquake of November 2016.
• It has caused at least two major earthquakes in the last 15,000 years.
• Crustal faults are difficult to study, with past seismic activity easily undetectable.
• The UVic-led team examined topographical clues in the area to unearth knowledge of previous tremors.

With UVic’s team leading the way and continuing to study the Leech River fault, they’re hoping to be able to determine when exactly the previous quakes struck. This will help with future emergency response planning in the region.

Knowing that this fault line is indeed active, along with the Cascadia megathrust fault, gives even more reason to get earthquake prepared today!

So check in with your household and begin or revisit your earthquake preparedness plan! It’s easy to pick up a Premium 2 Week Earthquake Kit and be well on your way to safely navigating the aftershocks and after-effects of an earthquake.

Don’t wait. Get prepared.

-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!