Cascadia Subduction Zone: California Oregon earthquake MAP – ‘Big One’ earthquake OVERDUE
THE Pacific Northwest is in danger of a massive tsunami triggered by an earthquake, collectively known as ‘Big One’, that is far overdue.
By AMALIE HENDEN
Express.co.uk
Wed, Aug 22, 2018
Today a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the western coast of the US, sparking fear the ‘Big One’ could hit anytime now.
The earthquake registered 188 miles from the western coast of the US, but no tsunami warning has yet been issued by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The ‘Big One’ is a hypothetical earthquake of magnitude 9 or greater that is expected to happen along the San Andreas Fault in California at some point.
Scientists have predicted the ‘Big One’ could trigger a tsunami of 85ft high waves and could potentially drown as many as 33,000 people on the West Coast.
More than 160 experts have since 2013 gathered to develop the Oregon Resilience Plan.
If the Big One is to happen soon it can devastate and affect the regional and national economy.
The San Andreas fault is a fault that extends roughly 745 miles through California and forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American plate.
In 2008 scientists found a correlation between seismic events on the Northern San Andreas Fault and the southern part of the Cascadia subduction zone.
The Cascadia subduction zone is a 700 mile-long convergent plate boundary that stretches from northern Vancouver Island to Northern California.
More than 10 earthquakes, ranging from 2.8 to 5.6 have recently hit the area, all occurring on the seabed of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, six miles from the surface.
USGS has not issued any warnings over the recent earthquakes as it is an active tectonic plate, some experts have claimed it to be a warning of what’s coming.
However, concerns have sparked surrounding the plate’s new motion described as ‘sticky’ rather than ‘smooth’, as it can cause strain to build up.
The Rest…HERE
