Preliminary results from a study related to the subduction of the Juan De Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate off the coast of Washington and British Columbia indicate that the potential mega-thrust earthquake could strike closer to the Seattle-Tacoma area than previously thought. I believe this project is the same one where I posted their press release about two years ago. According to the article, the average return period for these mega-thrust earthquakes is 400 to 500 years with a range between 300 and 800 and the estimated magnitude of around 9.0. The last mega-thrust earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone was in January of 1700. Previously, scientists predicted the earthquake would be centered just off the coast, they now think it could be 30 miles or more inland, under the Olympic Peninsula to the west of the Seattle-Tacoma area. Source: Physorg.com via Geology.com.
Conferences
Seattle Area Project News
When I arrived in Seattle for the ER2010 conference, I was thinking about the kinds of stories I post on the site. I think I probably post more about Seattle area projects than any other […]
Geologic Hazards
Taiwan M6.8 Earthquake Causes Major Destruction
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Taiwan on September 19th, toppling buildings and bridges, derailing trains, and causing widespread disruption of services and communications. According to the BBC, at least one person was killed and 146 […]
Project Related
Plan for Bertha Repair Submitted, Archaeological Surveys Underway
Seattle Tunnel Partners and WSDOT are moving forward with the plans to excavate a 120 foot deep shaft to repair the Bertha Tunnel Boring Machine. Unfortunately, there are archaeological issues since the project team did […]