The timber piles of the existing I-5 bridge over the Columbia River is vulnerable to liquefaction in the event of a major earthquake. And there is no shortage of potential sources for the shaking in the area. A slip along the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate could be one potential source, as could a major fault zone along Portland’s west hills. These considerations are one of the reasons a new Columbia River Crossing project is being pursued. [Source: The Columbian via AGC SmartBrief. Image: The Columbian]
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Study: Port of Anchorage replacement vulnerable to liquefaction in earthquake
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Geologic Hazards
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Geologic Hazard Photos
The National Geodetic Data Center (NGDC) of NOAA has an online collection of photos of various geologic hazards. Many of the photos are from older sets of 35mm slides that have been digitized. They are free to use provided you credit the photographer and the NGDC as the source. The would be really useful for educators and for powerpoint presentations. The only drawback is that they are in TIF format and some of them could use some retouching. (Photo by University of Colorado, made available by NOAA/NGDC)