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To: Alan Smithee who wrote (366172)	5/26/2010 4:01:31 PM
From: KLP	2 Recommendations Respond to of 793896

Oh. Just. Swell. LOOKING AT Earthquake risk in the Northwest. Posted at 1:34 pm by Glenn Reynolds May 24, 2010 Earthquake Risk Calculated For US Northwest Move over California. Oregon, Washington state, and British Columbia might have a far more devastating earthquake. CORVALLIS, Ore. – The major earthquakes that devastated Chile earlier this year and which triggered the catastrophic Indonesian tsunami of 2004 are more than just a distinct possibility to strike the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States, scientists say. There is more than a one-in-three chance that it will happen within the next 50 years. New analyses by Oregon State University marine geologist Chris Goldfinger and his colleagues have provided fresh insights into the Northwest’s turbulent seismic history – where magnitude 8.2 (or higher) earthquakes have occurred 41 times during the past 10,000 years. Those earthquakes were thought to generally occur every 500 years, but as scientists delve more deeply into the offshore sediments and other evidence, they have discovered a great deal more complexity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Lots of disasters are just waiting to happen. Earthquakes, large volcanic eruptions, asteroid strikes, and even another Carrington Event could cause massive disruptions. Earthquakes are the least of the 4 listed disasters in terms of potential for lives lost and disruption. Watch out for a mega-quake. Based on historical averages, Goldfinger says the southern end of the fault – from about Newport, Ore., to northern California – has a 37 percent chance of producing a major earthquake in the next 50 years. The odds that a mega-quake will hit the northern segment, from Seaside, Ore., to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, are more like 10 to 15 percent. A magnitude 9 earthquake would tear highways to pieces. Imagine trying to bring in help afterward. Rail lines and highways would be impassable. My guess is the rail lines could be restored to working order much faster. The OSU professor is convinced that the Pacific Northwest is at risk for an earthquake that could meet – or exceed – the power of seismic events that took place in Chile, as well as Haiti. If a magnitude-9 earthquake does strike Cascadia, he says, the ground could shake for several minutes. Highways could be torn to pieces, bridges may collapse, and buildings would be damaged or even crumble. If the epicenter is just offshore, coastal residents could have as little as 15 minutes of warning before a tsunami could strike. Anyone who lives in the northwest made any special preparations for an earthquake? Ready to survive for weeks without electric power or city water? By Randall Parker at 2010 May 24 10:34 PM Dangers Natural Geological futurepundit.com 8888888888888