From Alaska to Vancouver, residents along the west coast felt the powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the Haida Gwaii archipelago at 8:04PM PDT, on October 27th, 2012.

ONC seafloor hydrophones also registered the low-frequency rumbles from this earthquake, along with the calls of humpback whales in the area. This recording is from a hydrophone on Barkley Upper Slope, positioned at a depth of 396 m. In this clip, sound has been sped up 250% to make the earthquake noise audible to the human ear. The squeaking noises prior to the main quake are the sped-up whale calls.

Check out YouTube: Haida Gwaii Earthquake Rumbles (below, headsets recommended) or visit the ONC news release.

With thanks to John Dorocicz, Accoustics Systems Developer, Ocean Networks Canada

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Leslie Elliott, Ocean Networks Canada Communications and Marketing Manager

elliottl@uvic.ca | 250.472.5357