Strong early-morning Oregon quake felt in Vancouver and Sidney, B.C.

VANCOUVER – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that hit nearly 300 kilometres off the south-central coast of Oregon early this morning was strong enough to be felt in British Columbia.

Data from the United States Geological Survey shows residents in Vancouver and on southern Vancouver Island — almost 700 kilometres from the epicentre — reported feeling the shaker, although only mildly.

The geological survey says on its website that the quake occurred just after 1:30 a.m., about 10 kilometres below the Earth's crust.

It was followed two hours later by an aftershock with a 3.5 magnitude aftershock.

Neither event generated a tsunami and officials in Coos Bay, Ore., the nearest community to the quake, say there have been no reports of damage or injury.

The quake occurred along the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate which runs from the west coast of Vancouver Island to northern California.

Seismologists say earthquakes along that fault line are frequent as the plate tries to slip below the North American plate.

Natural Resources Canada reported Tuesday that a magnitude 4.8 quake had occurred about 210 kilometres west of Port Hardy, B.C.

It did not cause damage or a tsunami and B.C.-based earthquake seismologist Taimi Mulder said it had no relation to the "Big One," a large-scale earthquake that experts predict could strike the west coast of B.C. at some point.