Canadian seismologists are keeping a close eye on the earthquake that hit Mexico on Thursday night, looking for lessons that can be applied to British Columbia’s similar tectonic landscape. The magnitude 8.1 earthquake was the most powerful one recorded in Mexico in more than a century. It hit off the southern coast of the country, toppling buildings and killing dozens. John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said although the earthquake was unusually large it was not unexpected.