There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The US National Tsunami Warning Centre in Palmer, Alaska, says there is no danger of a tsunami from the Wednesday night quake.
The quake hit at 8:10 pm local time and was centered about 40 kilometres southwest of Port Alice, British Columbia, and about 450 kilometres northwest of Seattle, Washington. It occurred at a depth of 22 kilometres.
Within a half hour, nearly 200 people had logged on to the USGS earthquake information site to report having felt the quake.