John Cassidy

@earthquakeguy

NRCan earthquake seismologist + University of Victoria Adjunct Professor. Works with engineers, emergency managers, and communities to help minimize the impact of #earthquakes. Also, posts on Nature and Gardening (Zone 9a). 🌱 🧪⚒️ 🏞 🇨🇦 My thoughts/posts.

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Bluesky

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John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· 19d

And here is the culprit, a lightning strike in Cordova Bay (on this map it is just to the southeast of the “Elk Lake” label). From the Canada lightning map www.canada.ca/en/environme...

Map of some very recent lightning strikes on southern Vancouver Island.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· 19d

Wow - this short-lived, surprise storm on southern #VancouverIsland produced some very loud thunder and very nearby lightning. One flash and very loud bang were almost simultaneous and our house shook for many seconds - as recorded on the seismograph at 5:12 p.m. today. 🧪

Ground shaking at our house resulting from a nearby lightning strike!

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· 28d

Oh great… my garden has been turned into a “bed and breakfast” by a peafowl. Last night, this peahen dug up my yellow bean plants to make herself a nest in a raised garden bed. All that was visible was her head and it took a quite a lot of convincing to get her to leave. 🌱🦚

Photo of a peahen who has made a nest in a garden box. Tomato plants ( for snacking on) are behind.

Photo of the peahen leaving its new home in a garden box. Green plants and brown lawn in the photo.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· 29d

Interesting... there are peanut plants popping up in my garden. Are squirrels smarter than I thought? Are they thinking that for every peanut they plant in the garden, they could get a return of 50 to 150 peanuts?? 🌱

Photo of a squirrel sleeping on a fence in the sun.

Photo of peanut plants that have started growing in my garden.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jul 12

I am starting to think that it was not the best idea to grow zucchini plants in a garden box… 🌱

Photo of very large zucchini plants in a relatively small planter box. Large green leaves and a green cedar hedge in the background.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jul 1

Happy #CanadaDay! 41.4 million people 9.9 million km² (2nd largest country in the world) Enjoy the day! #VancouverIsland 🇨🇦

Brown grass, green trees, blue water, blue sky and snow-capped mountains in the distance, as seen from Fort Rodd Hill on southern Vancouver Island, Canada.

Red and white Canadian flag with a blue sky behind.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 30

For my Bluesky friends who are interested in Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS) - and specifically, the question “Does Episodic Tremor and Slip Influence Seismicity in Northern Cascadia?” - see the Seismica article (4th PhD article of Dr. Madison Bombardier) seismica.library.mcgill.ca/article/view... ⚒️🧪

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 29

Hi Dan, You didn't stay long enough! Yes - lots of neat things grow here - jasmine, azalea, camellia, rhododendrons, kiwifruit, figs and, of course, my favourite - in-ground lemon trees!🍋

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 29

‘Tis the season… the sweet scent of Jasmine. #June on #VancouverIsland 🇨🇦🌱

Photo of jasmine in bloom. Green leaves and white star shaped blossoms.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 24

June 24, 1997: a M4.6 #earthquake struck beneath the Strait of Georgia, midway between #Vancouver and #Nanaimo. It was felt across southwest British Columbia, knocked items from shelves and caused minor damage. It was followed by 100+ aftershocks and preceded by a M3.4 foreshock. ⚒️ 🧪

Map showing the location of the June 24, 1997 M4.6 earthquake. It was beneath the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver and Nanaimo and shaking was felt across much of southwest British Columbia.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 23

23 June 1946 - Canada’s largest recorded #earthquake beneath land (M7.3) rocked central #VancouverIsland. 100’s of landslides triggered, chimneys collapsed + broken windows. Shaking was felt from Oregon to Prince Rupert to the Alberta border. ⚒️🧪 www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/historic-his...

Map showing the location of the M7.3 earthquake central Vancouver Island earthquake of June 23, 1946 and the felt shaking pattern. Strong and damaging shaking occurred on central Vancouver Island, and shaking was felt as far away as Portland, Oregon, Prince Rupert and the Rocky Mountains.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 21

Always a fun trip by seaplane from #Victoria to #Vancouver, but especially when going to a #WorldCup match. #Egypt vs #NewZealand 🇨🇦

Photo of Vancouver from a seaplane. Lots of boats and highrises.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 20

Seeing red on Vancouver Island… Raspberries, roses and strawberries! #Victoria 🇨🇦🌱📸

Photo of fresh picked red raspberries and strawberries with a backdrop of red roses on southern Vancouver Island, Canada.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 18

Did you feel shaking in eastern #Québec or #NewBrunswick at 10:21 a.m. ET today? That was a M4.4 #earthquake that was felt by thousands from Québec City to Moncton. No reports of damage. Details and to report shaking: www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/eqpages/en/2... ⚒️🧪🇨🇦

Seismograms showing ground shaking from today's M4.4 earthquake in eastern Quebec.

Map showing how ground shaking was felt in Quebec and New Bruswick from this morning's M4.4 earthquake. Mild shaking was reported by more than 1000 people from Quebec City to Moncton, NB.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 8

Did you feel the ground shake in #Florida just after 2 p.m. ET? That was a M6.1 #earthquake that occurred ~100 km NW of #Cuba. It was felt from Cuba to Florida to Mexico. earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/... No tsunami expected: www.tsunami.gov Report shaking: earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

USGS map showing felt ground shaking from a M6.1 earthquake near northwest Cuba. Map shows how shaking was felt across the region.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 4

A brief shower at sunset last night produced this beautiful #rainbow over the Salish Sea. #VancouverIsland 🇨🇦🌈📷

Photo of a rainbow that extends to the Salish Sea. Tall, green Douglas Fir trees on one side and distant islands in the background.

Photo of a rainbow that extends to the Salish Sea. Tall, green Douglas Fir trees on both sides.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Jun 2

The most wonderful time of the year! It is lemon blossom season on Vancouver Island, and the air is filled with the beautiful scent of #lemon blossoms! My 5-year-old in-ground tree still has a dozen ripe lemons on it, and it should produce about 50 lemons this year… #VancouverIsland 🇨🇦 🌱🍋

Photo of a lemon tree on southern Vancouver Island. Lush green foliage, yellow lemons, white blossoms, and a house that need to be stained in the background.

A close-up of a lemon blossom (one of 100+) with green leaves surrounding.

Close-up photo of some lemons ready to pick. Green leaves in the background.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· May 23

Photos from Québec City a few nights ago!

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· May 23

It is always great to visit beautiful and historic Québec City. It is almost like visiting old cities in Europe without having to travel across the Atlantic. 🌱📷

View of the old hotel Chateau Frontenac as seen from the Citadel.

One entrance to the walled portion of old Québec City.

Beautiful.colourful tulips in bloom in Québec City.

View of old homes in Quebec City as seen from the Citadel. Green grass, blue skies and white fluffy clouds.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· May 16

May 16, 1976: a M5.4 #earthquake struck 60 km beneath Pender Island - a reminder that southwest #BritishColumbia is an active earthquake zone. High-rises in #Vancouver swayed for up to 30 s, windows broke in White Rock, and some power outages. www.seismescanada.rncan.gc.ca/pprs-pprp/pu...

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· May 12

Did you feel shaking on #HaidaGwaii at 1:35 p.m. today? That was a M4 #earthquake located off the east coast, 31 km from Daajing Giids and 37 km from Port Clements. Details: www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/recent/2026/... Please report shaking: www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/dyfi-lavr/fo... ⚒️🧪

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 29

April 29, 1965 (at 8:29 am): A damaging M6.7 #earthquake struck ~60 km beneath Seattle, rocking western #WA and southwestern #BritishColumbia. This was a deep quake - see type 2 in: earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/pprs-pprp/pu... Large, deep, damaging earthquakes also occurred here in 1949 and 2001.

A cartoon map showing the plate tectonics os western Washington State and southwestern British Columbia and the location of the damaging M6.7 earthquake of 29 April, 1965.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 25

The amazing citrus scent of Mexican Orange blossoms (Choisya ternate) fills the April air. This will bloom again in October. #VancouverIsland #blossoms 🌱🇨🇦

White and yellow Mexican Orange blossoms with green leaves and blue skies in the background.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 23

Tonight’s Earth Day dinner included fresh picked (today) beets from the winter garden and sautéed beet tops cooked with a lemon from the backyard tree and garlic from last summers harvest. All delicious and all very, very local. #VancouverIsland #GrowLocal #EarthDay 🌱🇨🇦🌎

Beets, arugula, Swiss chard and green growing in the winter garden.

Green beet tops and yellow lemons on a brownish countertop.

Bright yellow lemons and green leaves on the backyard lemon tree.
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John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 14

April 13, 1949 - a damaging M6.7 earthquake near Olympia and #Seattle, WA rocked the Pacific Northwest and southwest #BritishColumbia. Deep earthquakes (within the subducting oceanic plate at ~40-60 km depth) are the most frequent source of damaging #earthquakes here. crew.org/wp-content/u... ⚒️🧪

Cartoon showing the plate tectonics (subduction zone) of southwest British Columbia and Washington State. The location of the deep, 13 April, 1949 M6.7 earthquake near Seattle and Olympia is also shown.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 13

Thanks for sharing! How long did you have to stay up there before there was an "all clear" message? I took this photo in Chile following the 2010 Maule earthquake and tsunami in a community that was hit so hard - but everyone survived as they were #prepared and knew exactly what to do + where to go.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 13

It is Tsunami Preparedness Week (April 12-18) in #BritishColumbia. If you live (or visit) here, or anywhere in the world where tsunamis occur, see some great information on tsunamis and preparedness: - www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/... - bcearthquakealliance.ca/tsunami-prep... #TsunamiPreparedness 🧪⚒️🌊

Photo of a blue and white Tsunami Evacuation sign on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Green forest in the background.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Apr 11

Well, well, well... the peahen that moved into the neighbourhood is now feasting on the last of my winter garden vegetables (lettuce, arugula and beets). Even better, she gets up at 5:30 a.m. sharp and tries to awaken everyone in the area. 🌱🦚

Photo of a peahen sitting on a brown fence.

Photo of a peahen in a raised garden with beets, arugula dn lettuce on the menu. Green grass and a cedar fence in the background.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Mar 27

March 27, 1964 - a M9.2 subduction #earthquake struck southern #Alaska. Shaking was felt across much of #BritishColumbia and Yukon and the resulting #tsunami caused damage in some coastal BC communities. Details (USGS): earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/... Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6TB... ⚒️🧪🌊

Map showing the location and rupture area of the March 27, 1964 M9.2 Alaska earthquake.

John Cassidy@earthquakeguy· Mar 18

Camellia Japonica Late winter, #VancouverIsland 🇨🇦 🌱