Latest Cascadian Monster Quake Prediction

The Cascadia subduction zone is a region off the west coast
of North America where the oceanic Juan de Fuca Plate is being forced beneath
the North American Plate, resulting in a convergent boundary. This zone
stretches from northern California in the United States to Vancouver Island in
Canada and has the potential to produce very large earthquakes and associated
tsunamis. It is considered a high-risk seismic area and has been the subject of
intense scientific study and monitoring. In the event of a major earthquake
along the Cascadia subduction zone, significant damage and loss of life could
occur in the surrounding region.

the Cascadia subduction zone has experienced major
earthquakes in the past. The most recent major earthquake along the zone
occurred on January 26, 1700, and is estimated to have had a magnitude of
around 9.0. This earthquake was responsible for generating a large tsunami that
affected the Pacific coast of North America and even caused damage in Japan.
Other major earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone have been identified
through geological studies and include events that occurred around 300, 600,
and 900 AD. These events suggest that the zone experiences large earthquakes on
average every few hundred years, although the precise timing and magnitude of
future earthquakes are difficult to predict.

A study
led by the University of Washington discovered seeps of warm, chemically
distinct liquid shooting up from the seafloor about 50 miles off Newport,
Oregon. The paper, published Jan. 25 in Science Advances,
describes the unique underwater spring the researchers named Pythia’s Oasis. Observations suggest the
spring is sourced from water 2.5 miles beneath the seafloor at the plate
boundary, regulating stress on the offshore fault.

The
team made the discovery during a weather-related delay for a cruise aboard the
RV Thomas G. Thompson. The ship’s sonar showed unexpected plumes of bubbles
about three-quarters of a mile beneath the ocean’s surface. Further exploration
using an underwater robot revealed the bubbles were just a minor component of
warm, chemically distinct fluid gushing from the seafloor sediment.