1,000 miles long that travels from Northern Vancouver to Cape Medicino, California. Additionally, the Juan de Fuca Plate is slowly slipping under North America at a rate of about 3-4 inches per year. Every year only about 24 earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest are large enough to be felt, meaning that it does not release much energy. In addition, there has only been 25 partly damaging earthquakes since 1872. The fault is very inactive compared to others around the world making it very dangerous due to its buildup of stored energy.
Knowledge of the Cascadia fault was manufactured in 1970 therefore; the area is not prepared for an earthquake of the projected magnitude. The first problem investigators faced was figuring out how active the fault is- scientists uncovered the last major quake to be during August of 1699. The first clue that proved the occurrence of the earthquake shows up in Japanese records. On the twelfth moth of the twelfth day of the Genroku era there was a massive six-hundred-mile long tsunami that destroyed the Japanese coast. Then, scientists further proved the existence of the earthquake when they discovered what is known as the Ghost Forest, which is covered in leafless, branchless, and barkless dead trees. The trees are believed to have died all at once when the ground plummeted and a rush of sea water drowned them. Other than the scientific investigation of the magnitude 9 earthquake, there are native stories of the event. Based on this evidence, it means that the earth is 315 years into a 243-year cycle. The earth is 75 years overdue for the big one. This means that in the next 50 years there is a 1 in 3 chance of between a 8 and 8.6 magnitude earthquake or a 1 in 10 chance of a 8.7 and 9.2. When it happens it will displace millions and kill around 13,000 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history. In a matter of minutes, the whole region would be obliterated.
Due to the lack of earthquake experience in the area, the Pacific northwest is not well prepared. Approximately 75% of the Oregon's buildings cannot withstand a major Cascadia earthquake and, unlike in Los Angeles there is no warning system in place. The first sign of the approaching earthquake will be when every dog in the Pacific Northwest begins barking. The primary wave will not do damage but is fast moving and, it has a high frequency. This means that it is only audible to dogs and other animals. Soon after, the shaking will begin. The electrical grid will fall, gas lines will break, cabinets will fall off the walls, and houses will slide off their foundations. The earthquake will then set off a series of problems just as large as the original. Thousands of landslides will be triggered, fires will begin to spread, and liquefaction will turn seemingly solid ground into quicksand. However, nothing will be as bad as the tsunami.
As the earth was flung upward during the original quake, it sent a rush of water outward in two directions. One heading straight toward Japan, and another toward the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Tsunami's are one of the most un-survivable natural disasters. Furthermore, anyone who makes it through an earthquake will have less than thirty minutes to get to high ground before the wave arrives. Injuries, reorientation, and the search for friends and loved ones will make the evacuation period even narrower. This does not take into account everyone who is disabled, or of old age. Roads will be destroyed, so people will have to go on foot, but many will not know where to go. Thousands of confused tourists visit every year in addition to those in beach towns who have nowhere to go. Scientific simulations have predicted that the wave will range from 20 to 100 feet, but it will vary within the different coastal regions. Still, a tsunami is not simply a massive crested wave, it is as if the entire ocean has risen up. As it rushes in, it will pick up everything in its path including trucks, boats, and pieces of glass and buildings. As if the idea of an entire town submerged under water is not enough, the wave can travel 10 miles inland at 10-20 miles per hour, depending on the shape of the land. FEMA estimates that it will cause between 13,000 deaths and 27,000 injuries. This number projects that the disaster will take place during the day in February, but if it were to take place in the summer and at night, then these numbers would be off by a tremendous margin.
Knowledge of the Cascadia fault was manufactured in 1970 therefore; the area is not prepared for an earthquake of the projected magnitude. The first problem investigators faced was figuring out how active the fault is- scientists uncovered the last major quake to be during August of 1699. The first clue that proved the occurrence of the earthquake shows up in Japanese records. On the twelfth moth of the twelfth day of the Genroku era there was a massive six-hundred-mile long tsunami that destroyed the Japanese coast. Then, scientists further proved the existence of the earthquake when they discovered what is known as the Ghost Forest, which is covered in leafless, branchless, and barkless dead trees. The trees are believed to have died all at once when the ground plummeted and a rush of sea water drowned them. Other than the scientific investigation of the magnitude 9 earthquake, there are native stories of the event. Based on this evidence, it means that the earth is 315 years into a 243-year cycle. The earth is 75 years overdue for the big one. This means that in the next 50 years there is a 1 in 3
chance of between an 8 to 8.6 magnitude earthquake or a 1 in 10 chance of an 8.7 to 9.2. When it happens it will displace millions and kill around 13,000 people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in American history. In a matter of minutes, the whole region would be obliterated.
Due to the lack of earthquake experience in the area, the Pacific northwest is not well-prepared. Approximately 75% of Oregon's buildings cannot withstand a major Cascadia earthquake and, unlike in Los Angeles, there is no warning system in place. The first sign of the approaching earthquake will be when every dog in the Pacific Northwest begins barking. The primary wave will not do damage but will be fast moving and, and have a high frequency. This means that it will only be audible to dogs and other animals. Soon after, the shaking will begin. The electrical grid will fall, gas lines will break, cabinets will fall off the walls, and houses will slide off their foundations. The earthquake will then set off a series of problems just as large as the original. Thousands of landslides will be triggered, fires will begin to spread, and liquefaction will turn seemingly solid ground into quicksand. However, nothing will be as bad as the tsunami.
As the earth was flung upward during the original quake, it sent a rush of water outward in two directions. One heading straight toward Japan, and another toward the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Tsunami's are one of the most un-survivable natural disasters. Furthermore, anyone who makes it through an earthquake will have less than thirty minutes to get
Northern Vancouver to Cape Medicino, California. Additionally, the Juan de Fuca Plate is slowly slipping under North America at a rate of about 3-4 inches per year. Every year only about 24 earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest are large enough to be felt, meaning that it does not release much energy. In addition, there has only been 25 partly damaging earthquakes since 1872. The fault is very inactive compared to others around the world making it very dangerous due to its buildup of stored energy.