Imagine waking up to the sound of sirens and the ocean moving closer to your neighborhood. While this may sound like something out of a movie, scientists say certain areas along the U.S. West Coast could face that very scenario in the future.
Researchers are paying close attention to a powerful geological feature known as the Cascadia subduction zone, which stretches from Northern California to British Columbia. Experts say this area has the potential to produce a significant earthquake — and possibly a large tsunami event that could affect parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
What Is the Cascadia Subduction Zone?
The Cascadia subduction zone is a major fault line where two tectonic plates meet. When pressure builds along this boundary, it can result in a powerful earthquake. According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, such an event could also cause land along the coast to sink by up to 6½ feet, increasing the risk of coastal flooding in certain regions.
“The expansion of the coastal floodplain following a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake has not been previously quantified,” said Dr. Tina Dura, a geoscientist at Virginia Tech and lead author of the study. “The impacts to land use could significantly increase the timeline to recovery.”
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