3 minor earthquakes recorded off B.C. coast, near Port Hardy

Three minor earthquakes struck the British Columbia coast on Sunday, none of which were felt by residents.

Earthquakes Canada says a 4.0 magnitude quake was registered around 8:20 a.m. PT.

It followed a 5.5 magnitude quake recorded at 4:28a.m. and another 4.2 magnitude quake recorded about an hour and a half earlier near the same location.

The epicentre of the third quake was 185 kilometres west of Port Hardy, north of Vancouver Island.

The agency says it is currently monitoring a swarm of earthquakes far off the coast of northern Vancouver Island.

There are no reports of any damage from Sunday's quakes and the agency says no tsunami is expected.

The agency says there have been more than 30 quakes since Sept. 14, though none have been felt, and the largest recorded magnitude is 5.5.

Quakes common in area

Andrew Schaeffer, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said seismic activity in that area is "completely common."

He explained the quakes took place in a region called the Queen Charlotte Triple Junction, where three tectonic plates meet.

"As a result, we get quite a bit of seismicity in this area," Schaeffer said in an interview Sunday. "Sometimes it comes in swarms, sometimes it's just kind of continuous normal background seismicity."

Schaeffer said it is not possible to predict whether more will occur.

"It's not a function of weather or time of year, just sometimes the swarm will happen. Otherwise it's pretty normal for a magnitude 3.0 to pop off every month, at least, in that area and then sometimes we just get these bursts of activity."

There are no reports of any damage from Sunday's quakes and no tsunami is expected, Schaeffer said.

"For us on the west coast, [earthquakes]are just another reminder that we live in an active earthquake zone and let's be prepared."

He suggested people ensure they have an earthquake preparedness kiton hand and formalize a family emergency plan so they are ready in the event of a natural disaster.