The Cascadia Earthquake: A Disaster that Could Happen

2015 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of a tsunami

Imagine if a 9.0 earthquake struck the West Coast today, resulting in a giant tsunami. Coastal towns would be washed away or completely isolated, and electricity would be lost (FOX5). There would be $70 billion in damage and people would only have 15 minutest to evacuate or move to higher ground resulting in 10,000 deaths (FOX5). This sounds like a plot for a scary movie, but this is actually a reality. The Oregon Coast in located on a subduction zone, which makes it very susceptible to major earthquakes and tsunamis. With the Cascadia subduction zone running along he West Coast the threat of a major tsunami is very real. The scenario mentioned above was based on the rupture located along the Cascadia fault line. This fault system runs from Northern California to Vancouver Island about 700 miles off the shore (FOX5). Scientists use to believe that the San Andreas Fault was where a large earthquake tsunami would originate, but recently their attention has shifted to the Cascadia subduction zone which is now said to be much more dangerous than previously thought (FOX5). Recent earthquake events have added even more tension and possibility for a large-scale tsunami. On March 10, 2014, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California, which put a lot of stress on the Mendocino Triple Junction (Davidson). The Mendocino Triple Junction is where three tectonic plates collide, and is very unstable (Davidson). This junction has all this built up pressure and is about ready to explode. Scientists believe that this junction will be the origin of a tear along the 680-mile long Cascadia Subduction Zone. (Davidson). The disaster that follows will be considered the United State’s largest modern-day earthquake. Cascadia... ... middle of paper ... ...eared." FOX5 San Diego. Tribune Broadcasting Company, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . "Traces of radiation from Japanese tsunami disaster expected soon along Oregon coast." The Oregonian 14 Mar. 2014: Oregon Live. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. . Watanabe, Yasunori, et al. "Evolution Of The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami On The Pacific Coast Of Hokkaido." Coastal Engineering Journal 54.1 (2012): 1250002-1-1250002-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. Yong Cheol, Kim, Choi Minha, and Cho Yong-Sik. "Tsunami Hazard Area Predicted By Probability Distribution Tendency." Journal Of Coastal Research 28.5 (2012): 1020-1031. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Coastal Defences at Reculver

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    See Location Map of the coastline being studied from Herne Bay to Reculver.

    Read More

  • Sea Defences at Minehead and Their Effectiveness

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    coast (as shown in pictures 1 & 2). The area of sea is subject to the

    Read More

  • San Andreas Fault Theory

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theory concluded that around 200 million years ago, the heavy Pacific Plate collided with the lighter North American Plate, and started sliding underneath, a process known as subduction. This continued for 100 million years, until some 20 million years ago, when the Pacific Plate was forced to change direction and started sliding north, creating the San Andreas Fault. Most of California’s population sits on the west side of the fault, the Pacific plate, while the rest of North America is sitting on the east side of the fault, the North American

    Read More

  • A Tsunami in Santa Cruz

    464 Words  | 1 Pages

    People who live in California are well aware of earthquakes that are frequently caused by the San Andreas Fault. However, not many are aware of the results of earthquakes that occur in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis have also been referred to in the past as seismic sea waves, but earthquakes aren’t the only cause of this phenomenon. Landslides, nuclear explosions, volcanic eruptions, and extraterrestrial impacts also have great water displacement results. What makes California such a potential area for this disaster is the seismic activity near its coastline.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of The San Francisco Earthquake Of 1906

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    The science of the natural disaster has baffled many, but from studying the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries and they have a better understanding of earthquakes. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”)(“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). The shearing caused a loud rumble in the Californian city of San Francisco. A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”)(“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). Moreover, the earthquake could be recorded on a seismograph in Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away from San Francisco (“San Francisco ea...

    Read More

  • Coastal Erosion: La Playa Loca

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Garrison, Tom. "Chapter 12: Coasts." Oceanography: An Invitation to Marine Science. 7th ed. Cengage Learning, 2010. 319+. Print.

    Read More

  • Ventura County Climate Action Plan

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Forecasting Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Windstorms on Coastal and Inland Ecosystems." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6.5 (2008): 255-63. JSTOR. Ecological Society of America, June 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Northridge California Earthquake

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before examining the Northridge event, understanding the naturally occurring hazard that is an earthquake will help to better understand exactly what happened and why it was such an important geological event. With four distinct layers, two layers, the crust and upper portion of the mantle, compose the skin that is the surface layer of the Earth. The crust is not a single, continuous piece. It is actually several different pieces, or plates, that come together to form the puzzle that comprises the surface of the Earth. These plates are in constant motion rubbing against one another. These areas, known as fault lines, where the plates rub up against one another have spots where one plate ”gets stuck while the rest of the plate keeps moving. When the plate has moved far enough, the edges unstick and is how most of the earthquakes around the world occur” (Wald, 2012). The energy stored from the friction of the two plate...

    Read More

  • The Bay Area and Earthquakes

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    study of the San Andreas fault system." (USGS) When the 1906 earthquake struck scientist set

    Read More

  • Seattle Research Paper

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Seattle Fault is a zone of multiple shallow east-west thrust faults that cross the Puget Sound Lowland and through Seattle (in the U.S. state of Washington) in the vicinity of Interstate Highway 90. The Seattle Fault was first recognized as a significant seismic hazard in 1992 when a set of reports showed that about 1,100 years ago it was the scene of a major earthquake of about magnitude 7, an event that entered Indian oral legend. Extensive research has since shown the Seattle Fault to be part of a regional system of faults. Since Seattle is prone to earthquakes, it is important for the city to prepare for the disasters in order to reduce the damages. Below I have listed

    Read More

  • Human Activities And Natural Processes: Narrabeen Lagoon

    1933 Words  | 4 Pages

    Destructive waves causing the largest wave cut platform in the Southern Hemisphere along Long Reef Beach

    Read More

  • The Susceptibility of California to Earthquakes

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    Earthquakes have impacted many areas in the United States, especially along the western coast in states like Alaska, Hawaii, and California. California is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it is located on the famous San Andreas Fault in the very seismically active Ring of Fire. Earthquake hazards are also prominent in many other regions across the United States including the Rocky Mountain region, the New Madrid Seismic Zone (a portion of the central United States), as well as portions of the eastern seaboard, specifically South Carolina. Close to “75 million people in 39 states” face considerable and recurring risks from contemporary earthquakes (Monahan 2). Owing to the destructive effects of California’s earthquakes in the past few decades and generally around the world, scientists have made an effort to locate and measure the size of an earthquake, predict a location’s vulnerability to earthquakes, and develop seismic warning systems in an attempt to reduce potential losses in...

    Read More

  • Cause And Causes And Effects Of Seismic Sea Waves

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    All tsunamis are potentially dangerous, even though they may not damage every coastline they strike. A tsunami can strike anywhere along most of the U.S. coastline. The most destructive tsunamis have occurred along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. Actually, tsunami not only happened within the U.S., also at Chile, Japan, Netherland and some countries nearby

    Read More

  • Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami: Operation Tomodachi

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Japan is no stranger to earthquakes nor are they unfamiliar with tsunamis; however, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami was different. Registering at a staggering magnitude of 9.0, the Tohoku earthquake was the largest in Japan's history. The “death toll is estimated at 14,027 people, with 13,754 people missing. Furthermore, the disaster displaced over 136,000 people, destroyed over 4,500 buildings, and damaged 71 bridges, over 3,500 roads, and 26 railways.” (Tomodachi Analysis) Despite the earthquake's magnitude, it was the resultant tsunami that caused the majority of the deaths from this disaster.

    Read More

  • San Andrea Fault

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    San Andrea Fault Introduction The San Andreas Fault is a geologic fault zone between two tectonic plates that runs from San Francisco south to San Diego in California. It is an area of frequent earthquakes caused by the plates sliding past each other. It is so called because it runs along the San Andreas Valley. The San Andreas fault was brought dramatically to world attention in 1906 when sudden displacement along the fault produced the great San Francisco earthquake and fire. This earthquake was but one of many that have resulted throughout its life of about 15-20 million years.

    Read More

More about The Cascadia Earthquake: A Disaster that Could Happen

Open Document