These mega-quakes occur when built-up pressure is suddenly released, allowing the constantly colliding Earth’s plates to slip and suddenly shift. In the case of the Cascadia fault, the longer the build-up without smaller earthquakes to release that pressure, the more severe the ‘big one’ is likely to be.
Analysis shows that more than 1,000 bridges in Oregon and Washington state could collapse or become unusable due to earthquake damage.
Traffic along the I-5 would grind to a halt until it could be rerouted. The interstate highways will likely have large cracks in the pavement, at least on the scale seen in 1989 following the Loma Prieta Earthquake near San Francisco.
The Cascadia earthquake is expected to last a long time, too. Estimates suggest the lateral shaking would last from 3 to 5 minutes, which would seem like an eternity to those caught in the destruction.
The disaster response effort will be “orders of magnitude larger than that for Hurricane Katrina or Super Storm Sandy,” according to Lt. Col. Clayton Braun of the Washington State Army National Guard.
Scientists have set up monitors, ‘listening posts’ along the coast from Vancouver Island all the way to Northern California to track the activity along the subduction zone.
Next, we’ll look at the alarming information from scientists about how to survive such a killer quake:
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I knew u were messing with the
Weather!!!!
I say we have the government place into effect immediately an earthquake ban! After all an earthquake like that could kill more people than all the people who have died from gun violence! But I doubt if it would be as many that have died from medical malpractice!