Experts are sounding the alarm about a potential 1,000-foot “mega tsunami” that could devastate parts of America—if a powerful earthquake strikes a specific fault line within the next five decades.
Alaska, Hawaii, and coastal areas of the mainland West Coast could be hit hard if the Cascadia subduction zone—stretching from Northern Vancouver Island down to Cape Mendocino, California—ruptures.
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Researchers at Virginia Tech, publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, estimate there’s a 15 percent chance of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurring in the region over the next 50 years.
Such a quake could level cities like Seattle and Portland and drop the surrounding coastal land by as much as 6.5 feet, according to the study.
A mega-tsunami could wipe out a massive portion of the U.S. if a large earthquake strikes an active fault line, scientists say.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Seattle (pictured) and Portland are among the cities at risk of vanishing if a 1,000-foot tsunami strikes.
(Getty Images)
Waves from such a tsunami could tower up to 1,000 feet, putting millions of lives at stake.
Unlike standard tsunamis, which produce waves only a few feet tall, mega-tsunamis are defined by their staggering height—often rising hundreds of feet. Scientists warn this disaster could unfold within minutes, offering no time for evacuation or emergency measures.
“The expansion of the coastal floodplain following a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake has not been previously quantified, and the impacts to land use could significantly increase the timeline to recovery,”
— Tina Dura, lead author and assistant professor, Virginia Tech’s Department of Geosciences
The study highlights southern Washington, northern Oregon, and northern California as the areas most likely to suffer the worst effects.
Even Alaska and Hawaii, though farther from the fault, remain at risk due to their own seismic and volcanic activity.
The last major quake along the Cascadia subduction zone happened in 1700—making the possibility of another increasingly likely.
