News & Current Events
Scientists Sound Alarm Over Overdue U.S. Earthquake That Could Affect 45,000,000 People
There is another natural catastrophe hazard that might cause significant harm closer to home, even though the Japanese government is alerting the public to the possibility of a megaquake that would destroy nearby areas.
In reality, experts have warned that the United States is long overdue for an “unsurvivable” megathrust earthquake that would affect 45,000,000 people.
The earthquake has been dubbed “the big one” because it is predicted to be so devastating.
The intersection of the Juan de Fuca and North American plates forms the 700-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone.
This can produce massive magnitude 9.0+ earthquakes and tsunamis, and it stretches from northern California to southern British Columbia.
The fault line has had 13 megathrust earthquakes in the last 6,000 years, or one per 500–600 years on average.
However, some have been known to occur as close together as 200 years or as far apart as 800 years, thus this is not a timely event.
Experts worry that another “big one” may be imminent because the last significant earthquake occurred more than 300 years ago.
Since the last occurrence in 1700, the region’s population has grown significantly, and as of 2022, there are 45,161,000 people living in the impacted area.
Scientists now estimate that the likelihood of a megathrust earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 or higher occurring in this fault zone during the next 50 years is about 37%.
The Pacific Northwest as a whole will be affected if this occurs.
If locals are unable to leave in time, it is believed that tsunamis that are 500 miles per hour will be “unsurvivable.”
Older buildings, bridges, and landslides will all fall due to the powerful shaking of the huge earthquake.
As a result, much of the region may flood up to ten miles inland, and areas near the coast may sink by as much as six feet.
To counter this, a group of academics at the University of Oregon are developing strategies to ensure that residents in the area are as ready as possible.
They use ShakeAlert, an earthquake warning system, as part of their preparation.
In order to notify users of an earthquake before the harmful shaking starts, this sends them a notification. This has required study into how to effectively forecast when an earthquake is about to occur.
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