The discovery leads University of Washington scientists to a better understanding of earthquake threats

Warm fluid seeping from the ocean floor off Oregon is providing University of Washington scientists with more information about the risk of a major earthquake in the Northwest.

The University of Washington-led team made the discovery during a weather-related delay of a cruise on a research vessel. The ship’s sonar showed an unexpected plume of bubbles about three-quarters of a mile below the ocean’s surface.

An underwater robot revealed that the bubbles were just a byproduct of a warm, chemically distinct liquid gushing from seafloor sediments.

“They explored in that direction and what they saw wasn’t just methane bubbles, but water coming out of the sea floor like a firehose,” said Evan Solomon, assistant professor of oceanography at the University of Washington. “This is something I have never seen before, and as far as I know it has never been observed before.”

Scientists called the unique underwater springs the Pythia Oasis. The geyser is believed to come from water 2.5 miles from the sea floor at plate boundaries, regulating pressure on the offshore fault.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone includes a “massive” rift that extends from northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California. It is a major earthquake concern for scientists.

“The Giant Rift Zone is like an air hockey table,” Solomon said. “If the fluid pressure is high, it’s like running air, which means there’s less friction and the two plates can slide. If the fluid pressure is lower, the two plates will lock—then pressure can build up.”

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A study in the journal Science Advances reports the discovery of a warm, chemically distinct liquid gushing from the sea floor 50 miles from Newport, Oregon. It was discovered by former University of Washington chief scientist Brendan Phillip, now an environmental advisor at the White House.

Calculations indicate that the liquid comes directly from the Cascadia megathrust, where temperatures are estimated to be between 300 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

These slip faults exist, where portions of ocean crust and sediment slide past each other, because the ocean plate strikes the continental plate at an angle, putting pressure on the upper continental plate.

Solomon said the fluid oozing from the fault area is like a lubricant leaking. This is bad news and can cause more earthquake hazards because less lubricant means that stress can build up, creating a potentially more damaging earthquake.

This is the first known site of its kind, Solomon added, although similar fluid leak sites may exist nearby, but are difficult to detect from the ocean surface.

A large liquid spill off central Oregon could explain why the northern part of the Cascadia subduction zone, off the coast of Washington, is thought to be locked or coupled more strongly than the southern part off the Oregon coast.

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