In this computer simulation, tsunami waves are radiating outward after a magnitude (M) 9 earthquake that occurred on the Cascadia Subduction Zone offshore of northern California, Oregon, and Washington on January 26, 1700. This view shows the waves 4 hours after the quake. Colors indicate wave heights—red is highest. Along parts of the coast of the Pacific Northwest, 30-foot-high (9 m) waves rushed inland. Within 20 hours the tsunami did damage throughout the Pacific, and it is well documented in written records from Japan. For more information: Orphan tsunami. Captions and Image source: USGS
Excerpts;
Washington’s coast is so close to the seismically active Cascadia Subduction Zone that if a megathrust earthquake were to occur, a tsunami would hit the Washington shoreline in just 25 minutes.
One coastal community is preparing for such a disaster by starting construction on the nation’s first tsunami evacuation refuge, large enough to shelter more than 1,000 people who are within 20-minute walking distance…
Read Full Article, Science Daily
Japan Tsunami Holds Lessons for Pacific Northwest, USGS (03-29-2012)
The threat posed to coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest by massive tsunami flooding gained renewed attention after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and consecutive devastating tsunami that rapidly inundated coastal areas in Japan on March 11, 2011. Scientists say that a similar tsunami hit the Pacific Northwest coast in 1700, and it may happen again. 90 percent of the coastal region’s residents evacuated effectively in japan, but a same situation would likely play out differently in the Pacific Northwest…
Research Helps Paint Finer Picture of Massive 1700 Earthquake and Tsunami, (05-15-2013)
Researchers’ work provides a finer-grained portrait of a 1700 massive earthquake that struck the west coast of North America, and the changes in coastal land level it produced, enabling modelers to better prepare for future events…
