Although scientific recognition of the earthquake hazard presented by the Cascadia
subduction zone (CSZ) is relatively recent, the Native American’s have lived on the Cascadia
coast for thousands of years, handing down knowledge through millennial storytelling.
This paper reflects evidence on coastal earthquakes and is presented in Native traditions
and estimates the dates of the most recent seismic events from their culture. The primary plate-
boundary fault of the CSZ separates the oceanic Juan de Fuca Plate from the continental North
America Plate, partaking with the San Andreas Fault Plate.
It lies about 80 km offshore and encompasses roughly parallel to the coast from the
middle of Vancouver Island to northern…show more content… The year was confirmed through close study of tree-ring patterns of “ghost cedar” roots
(Yamaguchi et al., 1997). The magnitude estimate of 9.0 implies rupture along the entire length
of the CSZ (Satake et al., 2003).
Geographic extent of the likely rupture area, extended along the entire West Coastal
Region into Northern/Mid California to Vancouver Island. It surged through the Jaun De Fuca
Strait, sending massive amounts of water to abruptly flood the region and thrusting tides toward
Japan.
Imagine, and create a depiction of this massive phenomenon in your mind. Integrate the
possibility of another one such as this, what kind of widespread damage would be dealt? 1700s
wasn’t as heavily populated as it is today. And could vastly, demolish a huge portion of Western
Culture. Seattle, L.A., San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, amongst the many cities, along with
the countless lives. is it possible? –– Absolutely.
TRADITIONS FROM CASCADIA
Stories vary considerably in content and style along the Cascadia coast. At the southern
end, many stories explicitly mention both earthquakes and tsunami. At the northern end,…show more content… RESOURCES
Heaton, T. H. and H. Kanamori (1984). Seismic potential associated with subduction in the northwestern United States, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 74, 933–941.
Heaton, T. H. and P. D. Snavely (1985). Possible tsunami along the northwestern coast of the United States inferred from Indian traditions, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 75, 1,455–1,460.
Lander, J. F., P. A. Lockridge, and M. J. Kozuch (1993). Tsunamis Affecting the West Coast of the United States, 1806–1992, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, 242 pp.
Nelson, A. R., B. F. Atwater, P. T. Bobrowsky, L.-A. Bradley, J. J. Clague, G. A. Carver, M. E. Darienzo, W. C. Grant, H. W. Krueger, R. Sparks, T. W. Stafford, Jr., and M. Stuiver (1995). Radiocarbon evidence for extensive plate-boundary rupture about 300 years ago at the Cascadia subduction zone, Nature 378, 371–374.
Schulz, Kathryn. "The Really Big One." New Yorker. Conde` Nast, 20 July