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The threat to Puget Sound from a quake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, is well documented. An official website of the United States government. As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Throughout the world shallow earthquakes generally refer to earthquakes that are less than ~45 miles deep. Scientists have been trying to understand how often earthquakes happen for over 100 years. In this sense, the shaking of the ground is the sound of rocks breaking and moving deep within the Earth. The moment magnitude scale is a type of logarithmic scale, where each increase of 1 means ~32 times more energy is released. But scientists theorize that the area has suffered only four . The last major earthquake was over 300 years ago. The team also found that accumulated movement on the fault has uplifted old Snoqualmie River sediments to their current position on ridges, in some places several hundreds of feet above the modern Snoqualmie valley floor. Before modern record keeping, Native Americans lived in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. The ground shaking from these earthquakes can last for several minutes. Also issued a warning for the UK that the Italian chaos could come to Britain In the early 2000s, USGS scientists including Brian Sherrod set out to further Johnsons work and better understand the slumbering fissure. Scientists are not sure how far east it goes. Though it was not directly related to Johnsons work, he asked a friend working for Mobil Oil to pass along the information. Wagner and Wiley (1983 #6230) and Wagner and Tomson (1987 #6249) mapped and briefly discussed offshore parts of this fault zone and also used the name "southern Whidbey Island fault." Southeast Extension of the Southern Whidbey Island Fault By Human Capital March 19, 2019. sw_whidbeyfault_rev122706.pdf (28.68 KB) The Straight Creek fault in the Cascade Range is an example of this kind of fault and has ~5060 miles of movement across it. <> Unlike sound, ground shaking can be amplified or attenuated (made less) depending on the type of material at the Earths surface. There are also tsunami evacuation signs on the highways. This might include flammable appliances like a water heater, tall items like book cases, or heavy pictures. The western half of Washington state is considered earthquake country, with the potential for very large quakes. Tap/click on "gear icon" for options and settings. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). Evacuate to higher ground if you are near a large body of water. But quiet period wont last, Strongest earthquake in 40 years rattle residents of Buffalo, NY, Is Istanbul next? In the month after the main earthquake there were about 60 M7 and M6 earthquakes. All faults, regardless of size, can be dangerous if they rupture. A team headed by Joe Dragovich of DNRs Division of Geology and Earth Resources,assisted by geologists from King County, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, Colorado College, and Washington State University, has been mapping in this area for the past three years. The seismic mapping had cost millions of dollars far beyond what most geologists on a government budget could scrape together. @\;L;=}%FC*l $@ 4x: 888O~xrsxx'/*rGRF\gI%~x(G-^-hjjq kx/V ou0hyegy0;ei`Tx&ilZ )TmZ$vb,`bQm|DR5x/ Consider whether earthquake insurance is right for you. /L\Axc4Q/w4Ks^#, sRITgZf>,e}iI5,F_ADGc?f e@L. The Seattle fault is a good example of a fault that is mostly reverse. Earthquakes on faults like these may cause tsunamis in the Puget Sound region. USA Earthquake Hazard Map. This means that a large area feels the shaking, but the intensity is less than a similar shallow earthquake. Large earthquakes are less common but can cause significant damage to the things we count on in everyday life, such as buildings, roads, bridges, dams, and utilities. This fault zone was originally named the Devils Story telling is an important part of the Native tradition and is how their history is passed down to the next generation. <>/XObject<>/ExtGState<>/Pattern<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Nearly all earthquakes occur on faults, features in the Earth where rocks move past each other. South Whidbey Island Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.4 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 320,776 Fatalities: 90 - 432 Injuries: 2,920 - 7,361 Economic Loss: $15,590,000,000 SeaTac Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.2 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 375,954 Fatalities: 16 - 123 Injuries: 1,394 - 3,404 Economic Loss: $13,400,000,000 Tacoma Fault In the Puget Sound region, it takes a trained eye to recognize rocky outcrops and subtly raised ground as evidence of a fault. This map of gravity residuals measured over the puget lowland reveals a pattern of deep, fault bounded basins (cool colors) and uplifts (warm colors). Small talk stops. A major southern Whidbey quake, on the other hand, could kill and injure many more, according to Murphy. Earthquakes. Since their initial discovery, research has shown that the actual number of earthquakes is somewhere between 5 and 10 for each change in magnitude. The risk is complicated, but there are millions of people who live in the Seattle area, said Forson. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Washington has the second highest risk in the U.S. of these large and damaging earthquakes because of its geologic setting. This earthquake is along the southern Whidbey Island fault, a less-known, less-studied subterranean boundary. The SWIF was first recognized and mapped at a regional scale by Gower and others (1985) on the basis of gravity and aeromagnetic anomaly maps. Once in the open, Drop, Cover, and Hold On. The Cascadia subduction zone along the Washington and Oregon coast is one of the biggest hazards to our state and is a good examples of this kind of fault. Earthquakes between 45 and 185 miles deep are called intermediate, and earthquakes over 185 miles deep are called deep. Liquefaction can be a big problem. What scientists dont know is its timing interval. Since about 1870 there have been about 15 large earthquakes (greater than M5) in the state. Photo by Steve Palmer. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Geologists do not yet know how often earthquakes happen on this fault. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. These fault strands follow the valley edges and control the location of the Snoqualmie River along some portions of the valley. An earthquake can be a scary event. You saw its potential in the 9.1 magnitude Tohuku earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan in March 2011. The strength of ground shaking (called strong motion by seismologists) usually decreases with distance from the earthquake source. The shaking can damage or destroy buildings and other infrastructure. Strait of Juan de Fuca Fault Map The Puget Sound faults under the highly populated Seattle and Puget Sound region of Washington state form a regional network of interrelated seismologic geologic faults. The team determined that the Rattlesnake Mountain fault zone, originally mapped by DNR geologist Tim Walsh in the 1980s, is likely the southern continuation of the southern Whidbey Island fault, extending this fault zone from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Rattlesnake Mountain near North Bend. The southern Whidbey Island fault zone (SWIF), as previously mapped using borehole data, potential field anomalies, and marine seismic reflection surveys, consists of three subparallel, northwest trending strands extending ~100 km from near Vancouver Island to the northern Puget Lowland. M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern Overview Interactive Map Regional Information Impact ShakeMap Technical Origin Download Event KML Earthquakes Hazards Data & Products Learn Monitoring Research M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern 2017-05-12 20:14:09 (UTC) 48.036N 122.452W Resources on tsunami danger and preparedness in Westport, Grays Harbor County, Long Beach Peninsula, and Coastal evacuation maps. Reverse faults are usually steep and occur in regions of compression. On Dec. 15th, a small swarm even hit near Bremerton, a few miles away from downtown. The continued movement along faults over millions of years can build mountains, tear a continent apart, and move tectonic plates thousands of miles. The tsunamis can travel far inland and deposit layers of sand and organic material. Discover in this article the most dangerous earthquake zones for Seattle and its area: The Cascadia Subduction Zone, the Seattle Fault and the South Whidbey Island Fault. Kelsey and others (2004 #7651) suggest that the earthquake resulted in 2.5 m uplift of the salt marsh on the north side of the fault strand relative to the marsh on the south side; no fault scarp has been identified between the marshes. What we know about this fault is that its ruptured may times in the pastit will happen again. The Mercalli Intensity scale is another historical way to measure the intensity of an earthquake. Knowing how often large earthquakes have happened in the past helps us to know how often they might occur in the future. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, pandemics, too many people think it cant happen to them and they still think that they can still make a quick run to Walmart to pick up enough to last for 2-3 days and then the govt. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The Seattle fault last ruptured about 1,100 years ago in AD 900950. Since the last ice age, the southern Whidbey Island fault zone has probably spawned several highly destructive shallow earthquakes. In the 1990s, scientists producedan animationthat shows inundation, and people wont have much time to run to higher ground. 121 N East Camano Dr North Anatolian Fault is currently locked, accumulating stresses which could be suddenly released anytime now like the Hayward Fault in California, Videos: New destructive M7.5 earthquake hits Turkey a few hours after largest quake in 100 years kills 1300. Consider subscribing to our blog, Washington State Geology News, to receive notifications when new information is published. Power could be out for days. America is going to be punished just like the rest of the world. Jump from 60 to 600 per week in just 5 years in Pahala, Is the Cascadia Subduction Zone about to blow?