For the most part, Washingtonians go about their daily business and don’t give a lot of thought to the fact that we live in the Cascadia Subduction Zone where earthquakes can occur on a frequent basis. It’s part of life here, it’s how many of us grew up and it is just part of living in Washington.
The next Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake could be devastating: Here’s How Washington Is Preparing
Some Background History
On January 26, 1700, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history struck off the West Coast of the United States, triggering a massive tsunami and altering the coastline from southern British Columbia to Northern California. This earthquake, estimated to have reached a magnitude 9 on the modern logarithmic scale, ranks among the top ten ever recorded.
Though the region was sparsely populated at the time, scientists have reconstructed the event using geological evidence, tree ring data, and an unexpected source: historical records from Japan. That same day, a tsunami hit Japan’s eastern coastline. It wasn’t until the 1980s and ’90s that scientists linked this “orphan tsunami” to the Pacific Northwest earthquake.