A map has shown an underwater fault line that could trigger a catastrophic earthquake that could cause a 100ft tsunami with an estimated death toll of 10,000 people.
Should the West Coast fault line shift it would cause a nine-magnitude earthquake far worse than the "Big One" which hit California. The 600-mile fault line would cause carnage from southern Canada to northern California .
Not only would an earthquake event leave thousands dead and more injured but should it hit the West Coast, then a tsunami at 100ft or higher would likely cause $80billion in damages and leave 10,000 dead also in just Oregon and Washington alone. The natural disaster would see longer-term deaths too, caused by diseases brought on by contaminated waters and exposure to mass dead bodies.
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A map has since shown the extent of the damage and range of travel in the fault, which has been split into four sections. It could be more catastrophic than first thought as pressure on the tectonic plates would lead to larger trouble from the potential earthquake. A more severe outcome than the expected result could occur, scientists have warned.
Researchers have since declared the Cascadia Subduction Zone an area of real worry that could cause a nine-plus magnitude earthquake. Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco all fall into a "violent" zone which would see the worst of the damage. But areas as far away as Calgary and Idaho may feel "moderate" damage from the seismic shift, the Daily Mail reported.
Emergency plans are in place for Oregon and Washington in the aftermath of a quake though there is only so much preparation that can be carried out. Hazmat spills and animal carcasses could cause all sorts of trouble which scientists are now saying is a very real possibility.
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Kelin Wang, a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada, who was not involved in the study, said: "The accuracy and this resolution is truly unprecedented. And it's an amazing data set. The recurrent interval for this subduction zone for big events is on the order of 500 years. It's hard to know exactly when it will happen, but certainly, if you compare this to other subduction zones, it is quite late."
Four segments of damage will come from the Cascadia event due to major faultlines. Study co-author Harold Tobin added: "It requires a lot more study, but for places like Tacoma and Seattle, it could mean the difference between alarming and catastrophic. We have the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis as large as the biggest ones we've experienced on the planet. Cascadia seems capable of generating a magnitude nine or a little smaller or a little bigger."
A similar fault line off the coast of Japan caused the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima, with similar zones also existing off Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand. With big earthquakes expected to happen roughly every 500 years and the last having happened in 1700, we're well within the time period of expecting another devastating earthquake.
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