Understanding earthquake risk throughout the Northwest

The Northwest is one of the most seismically active regions in the United States.

SEATTLE – The threat of an earthquake at any moment in Washington, Oregon and Idaho is real.

Just below our feet is the meeting place of multiple tectonic plates, slowly moving and pushing against each other. The edges of these blocks move and break, causing the ground to shake or form volcanoes.

The place where two of these tectonic plates meet, the Juan de Fuca plate and the North American plate, is just off the coast and poses the greatest threat of a major earthquake and possible tsunami. The subduction zone is called Cascadia.

Cascadia subduction zone

The Cascadia subduction zone is a large fault or meeting of two tectonic plates. The Juan de Fuca plate subducts beneath the North American plate at a convergent boundary. Friction keeps the plates from moving, but when the force on the plates becomes too strong, the friction disappears and the plates suddenly move, then stop.

The massive size of the fault means it is capable of producing some of the most powerful earthquakes in the world. A magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake off the coast could cause widespread devastation. Plate movement is also capable of producing devastating tsunamis along the Pacific Coast and Puget Sound.

Not all earthquakes occur where tectonic plates meet. Some, like the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, were caused by the rupture of just one of the plates.

As the Juan de Fuca moves beneath the North American Plate, the edges become brittle as they are pushed down. Cracks form in these massive tectonic plates, causing the ground above them to shake. While they can still cause devastation, they tend to be weaker than massive thrust faults and often do not produce a tsunami hazard.

The most common fault in the northwest is the crustal fault. In these cases, relatively small cracks form along the edge of the North American Plate, often closer to the population center than their deeper counterparts. Crustal earthquakes are caused by the ground being pushed or torn apart by the movement of plate boundaries.

While these faults do not have the potential to cause a massive earthquake, a magnitude 7 magnitude near the city center still poses a major threat. The two largest faults in the Earth's crust are the Seattle Fault and the South Whidbey Island Fault.

Volcanic earthquakes

The recent threat of earthquakes in the Northwest comes from volcanic activity. Magma moving beneath the Earth's surface causes changes in pressure on tectonic plates. Variable pressure causes errors and vibration as the ground moves down.

We often hear about cluster earthquakes. It indicates movement but not impending explosion. However, long-lasting earthquakes, like the one that triggered Mount St. Helens, are often a sign of something bigger on the horizon.

Earthquake waves

When we talk about earthquakes, we often hear the term epicenter. This is the point on the Earth's surface directly above where the earthquake originates or occurs. Directly below the epicenter is the epicenter, or the exact point of origin of the earthquake.

From the center of the explosion, moment waves propagate or propagate outward. Primary waves, or p-waves, travel quickly through solids, liquids, and even gas. They move like a babe, squeezing and stretching out. These cause the rapid shaking of the earthquake.

Shear waves, or s-waves, move more slowly, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Like shaking the end of a rope or waves on the surface of the ocean. This is the rolling motion we feel in some earthquakes.

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