Photographic record of the tsunami impacts on western Haida Gwaii following the Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii earthquake on October 28, 2012

The Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii earthquake on October 28th, 2012 (October 27th local time) was caused by northeast thrusting of the Pacific plate beneath Haida Gwaii, along a fault off the west coast of Moresby Island, British Columbia. This was the largest thrust earthquake and the second largest earthquake ever recorded in Canada. Given the extent of sea floor displacement, tsunami waves in excess of 3 m were expected along the coast of Haida Gwaii, but because the west coast of Haida Gwaii is largely unpopulated, there were no witnesses to the tsunami. The GSC undertook three coastal surveys in the weeks and months that followed the earthquake and measured evidence of tsunami waves in excess of 3 m, and largely exceeding 5 m in some inlets and bays, along ~230 km of coastline of Haida Gwaii. This report summarizes the field measurements and provides a photographic catalogue of the evidence surveyed.