Experts are raising alarms about the potential for a ‘mega-tsunami’ to threaten three regions in the United States.
Virginia Tech researchers have found that a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake could soon strike parts of the U.S. for the first time in over three centuries, potentially unleashing 1,000-foot-tall waves that could devastate communities and make them completely ‘uninhabitable.’
This concerning finding was published by Virginia Tech in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last month.
The study highlights the possibility of an earthquake occurring along the Cascadia subduction zone, a 600-mile convergent plate boundary stretching from northern California to southern British Columbia.
The research identifies Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the mainland U.S. as the three areas most at risk, with the West Coast only recently receiving updates on the new warning.
Alaska has long been noted as a region prone to landslides due to its geographical features and seismic activity.
With climate change accelerating glacier melt, reports suggest that more areas of land are becoming unstable.
In Hawaii, the islands have a long history of being impacted by mega tsunamis triggered by volcanic collapses, where millions of rocks fall into the sea.
The West Coast, a highly active seismic area in North America, as reported by the New York Post, lies on the notorious ‘Pacific Ring of Fire,’ which is responsible for numerous large earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions worldwide.
The study cautions that a powerful earthquake combined with rising sea levels could result in a mega tsunami potentially affecting northern California, northern Oregon, and southern Washington.
There is reportedly a 15 percent chance of an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 8.0 occurring in this region within the next 50 years.
The study indicates that such an earthquake could cause coastal land to subside by up to 6.5 feet.
Tina Dura, lead author of the study and assistant professor of geosciences in the College of Science, commented on these findings: “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.”
Dura’s team estimates that if the earthquake were to occur today, thousands of residents, specifically around 14,350 people, would be affected. Additionally, 22,500 structures and 777 miles of roadway would fall within the post-earthquake floodplain.
Sea levels are expected to rise by another three feet by 2100, escalating the risk of damage.
Dura explained: “Today, and more so in 2100 as background sea levels rise, the immediate effect of earthquake-driven subsidence will be a delay in response and recovery from the earthquake due to compromised assets. Long-term effects could render many coastal communities uninhabitable.”
Some reassurance is found in the fact that an earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 8.0 has not occurred in the region since January 1700, and Dura notes that the area is not ‘super heavily populated.’
However, she cautions that there are communities situated ‘right in the zone of subsidence.’
“This is honestly where I think the subsidence could have bigger impacts than it has during other recent large earthquakes around the world.”