Is the northwest United States at risk of an earthquake like the one in Chile?”
The disaster in Chile has brought new attention to an undersea fault along the Pacific Northwest that’s capable of producing the same type of mega earthquake and inflicting heavy damage on bustling cities like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. The fault has been dormant for more than 300 years, but when it awakens _ tomorrow or decades from now _ the consequences could be devastating. The last rupture unleashed the largest known quake to hit the continental United States _ a magnitude-9 that sent tsunami waves crashing into Japanese coastal villages. Recent computer simulations of a hypothetical magnitude-9 quake found that shaking could last 2 to 5 minutes _ strong enough to potentially cause poorly constructed buildings from British Columbia to northern California to collapse and severely damaging highways and bridges. Such a quake would also send powerful waves rushing to shore in minutes. While big cities such as Portland and Seattle would be protected from severe flooding, low-lyin
The disaster in Chile has brought new attention to an undersea fault along the Pacific Northwest capable of producing the same type of mega earthquake and inflicting heavy damage on bustling cities like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. The fault has been dormant for more than 300 years, but when it awakens — tomorrow or decades from now — the consequences could be devastating. The last rupture unleashed the largest known quake to hit the Lower 48 — a magnitude-9 that sent tsunami waves crashing into Japanese coastal villages. Recent computer simulations of a hypothetical magnitude-9 quake found that shaking could last 2 to 5 minutes — strong enough to potentially cause poorly constructed buildings from British Columbia to Northern California to collapse and severely damaging highways and bridges. Such a quake would also send powerful waves rushing to shore in minutes. While big cities such as Portland and Seattle would be protected from severe flooding, low-lying seaside communitie
Just 50 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast is an earthquake hotspot that threatens to unleash on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver the kind of damage that has shattered Chile. The fault has been dormant for more than 300 years, but when it awakens — tomorrow or decades from now — the consequences could be devastating. Recent computer simulations of a hypothetical magnitude-9 quake found that shaking could last 2 to 5 minutes — strong enough to potentially cause poorly constructed buildings from British Columbia to Northern California to collapse and severely damage highways and bridges. Such a quake would also send powerful tsunami waves rushing to shore in minutes. While big cities such as Portland and Seattle would be protected from severe flooding, low-lying seaside communities may not be as lucky.
