No, it is not on the level of some cataclysmic end of the world occurrence - with one exception; that is if you happen to live within the parameter of possible scenarios. It is no surprise to many of you who have been following my work over the years as to one possible scenario. It is the area known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

 

I am not alone in my concern over this area, especially within the next 15 days. One of which is Bill Steele, Director of Information Services for Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), and Public Information Officer (PIO) for the USGS earthquake related research activities.

 

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is located just off the coast from Northern California to Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada. Geologists believe it has an approximate cycle of 300 years according to soil and rock samples along the Washington coastline. The last mega-thrust earthquake sent a tsunami across the Pacific hitting Japan and wiping out the southern area of the Japanese island itself. Because of the sparse development and population along the northwest coastline 300 years ago, it is difficult to say what damage was caused to the greater Seattle area.

 

September 16th's magnitude 8.3 earthquake off the coast of Chile rattled the ground and triggered tsunami watches and advisories across the Pacific Ocean. "Luckily, the waves that rolled into Southern California were minor, but scientists at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network said our turn could come at any moment." says Steele.

 

"We are going to have a subduction zone earthquake and it will create a tsunami, and we do need to be ready to intelligently for that," Steele continued. You rarely see such an adamant statement coming from the science community. There is no question of "if" - it is only "when."