The failure of Cascadia may not be as well known as the San Andres fault, but the truth is that it can be as or more lethal than the latter.It is estimated that it can cause earthquakes above 9 degrees and tsunamis that devastate the coast, as happened in 2011 in Japan.
The fearsome and unknown failure of Cascadia
The Cascadia fault is located off the northwest coast of the United States.It is an underwater fault that has an approximate length of 1,100 km.It covers from the province of the British Columbia to Northern California.
The Cascadia fault is not as well known as that of San Andres, perhaps this is because it has not been active in relatively recent years.In fact, according to a study of coastal sediments, pu do establish that the last mega-earthquake that generated this fault occurred in 1700 .
This submarine fault is in the well-known Pacific Fire Belt , place in which 90% of the earthquakes in the world occur.In addition, several researchers have estimated that Cascadia has shaken the earth about 40 times in the last 10,000 years with average intervals of 500 years , although they clarify that in some occasions it has happened in intervals of 200 years.
Scientists estimate that the last earthquake caused by this fault should range between 8.7 and 9.2 degrees.One of the most important aspects Terrorism of Cascadia is that the earthquakes caused by it have a high probability of being greater than 9 degrees , in addition to causing a tsunami that will take the entire coast.
Experts believe that if there is a total breakdown of the fault the consequences would be gigantic.In fact, it is estimated that this earthquake is the worse natural catastrophe facing the United States.It is estimated that the victims would exceed the number of 13,000 and not only because of the devastating effects of the seism, but also because of the subsequent tsunami.It is estimated that the gigantic Waves will collide with the coast just 20 minutes after the earthquake.
Researchers do not believe that the United States is prepared for an earthquake of this magnitude.They go on to take preventive and educational measures so that the population is better prepared, even more taking into account that the last earthquake caused by Cascadia occurred more than 300 years ago.
And you, did you have knowledge about the existence of this fearsome fault?
If you are interested in reading more about these topics, we recommend: ¿Com or do some animals predict natural catastrophes?
Images: P K, ♒ ♒ ♒ ♒, bm.iphone
Comments
Post a Comment