Monday afternoon earthquake felt around the South Okanagan

Did you feel the ground shaking shortly after 2 pm?

If so, you’re not going crazy, because there was an earthquake recorded near Oliver this afternoon.

According to Earthquakes Canada (EC), the epicentre was around 7 km northwest of Oliver and 28 km south of Penticton.

EC measured it as magnitude-3.1, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) pegged it as magnitude-3.2.

The USGS initially labelled the cause of the tremor as “explosion,” but that tag has since been rescinded.

EC said the earthquake had a depth of 6 km and there have been no reports of damage, and none would be expected.

However, the service did report that it was lightly felt in Oliver, Okanagan Falls, Penticton and Kaleden, which was backed up by the Penticton Facebook group.

One resident of Sendero Canyon, just east of Penticton in the hills, said she “felt the floor move and a candle lantern on my dresser was rattling for a solid 15-20 seconds.”

Another woman said she was working in Oliver and the earthquake was like “a rumble of thunder with some vibration.”

One person even said they felt shaking in the Rutland area of Kelowna around that time, but it remains to be seen whether that was caused by the earthquake.