At 05:46 UTC the 9.0 Earthquake started off the east coast of northern Japan. By 14:40 UTC (06:40 PST) the first waves of the Tsunami were detected by the bottom pressure recorders of the NEPTUNE regional network off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
By 16:30UTC, the water level in Saanich Inlet started to drop (shown here), as the wave crest entered Juan de Fuca Strait. A model developed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of a Tsunami entering Juan de Fuca predicts an arrival in Saanich a couple of hours after the leading depression first enters Juan de Fuca Strait.
The de-tided bottom pressure derived from the VENUS CTD located at a depth of 96m in Saanich Inlet reveals a complex oscillating series of seiches (surface sloshing like in a bathtub) lasting nearly 12 hours as the Tsunami dissipates among the channels of the Gulf Islands and the Strait of Georgia.
Note: The signals are still being analyzed for a complete and accurate interpretation.
