Minor earthquakes strike off B.C.'s Haida Gwaii

Four minor earthquakesstruckoff the B.C. coast near Haida Gwaii Thursday afternoon, the latest in a series that have rattled the area since a 7.7 shaker rattled the islandslast fall.

The firstthree quakes with magnitudes 4.5, 4.3 and 4.4 stuck between 5 p.m. PT and 6 p.m. about 150 kilometres south of Masset. A fourth4.5-magnitude quake struckat 7:28 p.m. about 170 kilometres south of Masset.

A statement on the Earthquakes Canada website said the minor quakeswere aftershocks fromthe larger earthquake last fall, and more can be expected.

"These events are all part of the Oct 28 M 7.7 aftershock sequence. Higher levels of seismicity are expected in the Haida Gwaii region for the next year or so,"thewebsite said.

The West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre in Palmer, Alaska, said there was no tsunami danger from any of the quakes.

According to the U.S. Geological Service website, a total of six minor earthquakes ranging frommagnitude 3.6 to4.5 have struck the area since March 12. Two other quakes of similar magnitudes occurred in February in the same region.

A 7.7 earthquake rocked Haida Gwaii in October,the strongest recorded in Canada since an 8.1 shaker hit the same area in 1949. No damage was reported,except for the shutdown of a local hot spring.