Although we know much about active faults and earthquakes, there is much more to learn. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall down. The shaking can damage or destroy buildings and other infrastructure. Many universities and other organizations (such as Cascadia Region Earthquake Working Group and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network) also work to understand active faults in Washington. Both types of faults can cause ground shaking during an earthquake and may cause permanent deformation of the ground. Also, very large earthquakes were difficult to measure accurately. Both of these things can cause equal or greater damage than the actual earthquake. Most are too small to be felt or cause damage. Coupeville, WA 98239, Camano Office Tsunamis and seiches can also be triggered by large slides, both on land and underwater. We just dont know when.. Close to shore, this same wave could reach heights of 30100 feet or more. As of January 12, 2017, the USGS maintains a limited number of metadata fields that characterize the Quaternary faults and folds of the United States. People are already fighting over toilet paper, just imagine what will it be like when they go shopping for food and the shelves are almost empty. What scientists dont know is its timing interval. On a frigid, blustery day in December 2018, Sherrod revisited the site where he conducted much of his field work. A normal fault occurs when two blocks are pulled away from each other. (360) 678-5111 The bluff, where the cabins now sit, could have jutted up in the most recent Whidbey fault quake, Sherrod said. Standing becomes almost impossible as the jolts turn to rolling waves. Faults can also occur within a tectonic plate when the plate itself is deforming. Scientists are not sure how far east it goes. Be prepared and read more on DNR, USGS, King5, Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. This means that when the Seattle fault ruptures the south side of the fault moves up relative to the north side. Other types of seismic energy (S waves) also travel through the earth, but they move with a side-to-side (shearing) motion. Most damage and loss of life in earthquakes is a result of ground shaking. Most of the populated areas of the state have a 4080% chance of having an earthquake in the next 50 years. The Geologic Information Portal has a Natural Hazards theme that shows active faults and earthquakes. Some residents may lose housing temporarily or permanently. Read more below to learn about how and where earthquakes occur, what to do before, during, and after an earthquake, and what scientists are doing to learn more about them. Consider subscribing to our blog, Washington State Geology News, to receive notifications when new information is published. Image from the Pacific Geoscience Center of the Natural Resources of Canada. Faulting produced warping at the site of greater than 2 m. Radiocarbon ages provide a maximum age for the folding event of 12,09011,670 cal yr BP. Make an emergency response plan for you and your family. At the Washington Geological Survey, active means that a fault has evidence for movement within the Holocene time period (since about 12,000 years ago). We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. You saw its potential in the 9.1 magnitude Tohuku earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan in March 2011. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The faults length depends on whom you ask, Sherrod said. The fault zone is up to 57 km, correlates with gravity and magnetic anomalies (Finn and others, 1991 #4753; Blakely and others, 1999 #4747), and has been interpreted as a complex zone of transpressional deformation (Johnson and others, 1996 #4751). Landslide at Salmon Beach was triggered by the 1949 Tacoma earthquake and caused a tsunami. A drill rig left of the blockade is collecting data about the failure. High-resolution LiDAR topographic maps have since revealed several potential faults scarps, and subsequent studies provide more detailed information about the fault zone's past. Black lines show the South Whidbey Island Fault Zone, the Seattle Fault Zone and the Tacoma Fault Zone. These faults and earthquakes occur in the continental crust of North America. The most important thing you can do before the next earthquake is to prepare. Larger crustal faults, such as the Seattle fault and southern Whidbey Island fault zone, can produce earthquakes up to magnitude 7.5. They conclude the observed features have a glaciotectonic origin and are not seimotectonic. In Seattle, the quake damaged buildings, weakened bridges, started fires and opened cracks in the earth. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). Even when the location of a fault is known, there is much additional work to determine how hazardous it may be. You have entered an incorrect email address! After the shaking stopped the sand regained its strength. The southern Whidbey Island fault (SWIF) stretches from the vicinity of Victoria, B.C., across Puget Sound as far as the Cascade Range. Audio; Before and After Images; Images; Slideshows; Stereograms; Videos; Webcams; . It usually also means that there are earthquakes (even small ones) on the fault. This means that a large area feels the shaking, but the intensity is less than a similar shallow earthquake. A national credit rating service has improved its opinion of WhidbeyHealths financial future. Wagner and Wiley (1983 #6230) and Wagner and Tomson (1987 #6249) mapped and briefly discussed offshore parts of this fault zone and also used the name "southern Whidbey Island fault." 552 - Hood Canal fault zone (Class B) 570 - Seattle fault zone 572 - Southern Whidbey Island fault zone 575 - Saddle Mountain faults 581 - Tacoma fault zone. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. Many landslide-prone areas of Washington are also located near active faults. Part 2 will be full Martial Law and mandatory vaccines? 3 0 obj If a large earthquake happens, be prepared for many more earthquakes. Kelsey and others (2004 #7651) compared sea-level histories at two salt marshes that straddle a northeast strand of the southern Whidbey Island fault zone: Crockett Marsh (site 572-1) located north of the northeastern fault strand is 8 km north of Hancock Marsh (site 572-2), south of the fault strand. Mapping along the Snoqualmie River valley also helped answer the important question of where the Seattle fault lies east of its last mapped position near Issaquah. Ready to retrofit? The Seattle Fault is also likely to create a tsunami that would inundate Harbor Island and much of SODO, Interbay, and the waterfront. The southern Whidbey fault is shallow, running right under Snohomish County as opposed to many miles off shore like the Cascadia fault. Sherrod says practically every place they. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern Overview Interactive Map Regional Information Impact ShakeMap Technical Origin Download Event KML Earthquakes Hazards Data & Products Learn Monitoring Research M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern 2017-05-12 20:14:09 (UTC) 48.036N 122.452W Paleoseismologists have found places that record many of these tsunami deposits. This means that the internet, your cell phone, grocery stores, and gas stations may also not work. Scientists dont know. District Court: (800) 946-9765, South Whidbey Island Fault (SWIF) M7.4 Earthquake Scenario. endobj Some types of seismic energy (P waves) are similar to sound energy that is released if you break a twig or slide a chair across the floor. Prepare to be on your own for at least three days. Know what other hazards you might face. Graphic from IRIS. Seattle Fault and Whidbey Faults HAZARD MAPS As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It might as well have been sitting in a drawer, Johnson said. Image from the, Aquatic Lands Habitat Restoration Program, South Lake Washington Restoration Project, Scientific and Technical Support to Aquatic Programs, Washington Geologic Survey Publications Catalog, Washington Geologic Survey Photograph Collection, Wetlands of High Conservation Value Map Viewer, Timber Sale Remaining Volume by Purchaser Reports, Spanish - Brocha, Salal y Otros Productos Forestales, Complete: Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan, Community Wildfire Resilience and Preparedness, Utility Wildland Fire Prevention Advisory Committee, Blanchard, Reiter, Walker Valley and Nearby Islands, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee Past Meetings, Faults and Earthquakes in Washington State, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Seismo Blog, https://buildingfailures.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/tiltedbuilding.jpg, Pacific Geoscience Center of the Natural Resources of Canada. Volcanic eruptions. Earthquakes. Photo from Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Seismo Blog. Washington has the second highest risk in the U.S. of these large and damaging earthquakes because of its geologic setting. Scientists have used the stories from tribes along the entire Pacific Northwest coast to learn that the last large earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone was about AD 1700. Swarm of hundreds of small earthquakes rattle Vancouver Island. endobj Within minutes, he spotted something groundbreaking. This map shows different seismic design categories that correlate with amount of seismic risk. Do you know what to do if there is an earthquake? This photo shows a fence that was offset about 8.5 feet during the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake on the San Andreas fault. southern Whidbey Island fault zone (Class A) No. However, we can learn which faults are active and which are inactive. These large underwater slides only occur during very large earthquakes and are one way to learn about earthquakes that happened thousands of years ago. 1 0 obj On Dec. 15th, a small swarm even hit near Bremerton, a few miles away from downtown. Experts believe a magnitude 9.0 could happen there anytime in the next 200 years or so. Strait of Juan de Fuca Fault Map The Puget Sound faults under the highly populated Seattle and Puget Sound region of Washington state form a regional network of interrelated seismologic geologic faults. South Whidbey Island Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.4 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 320,776 Fatalities: 90 - 432 Injuries: 2,920 - 7,361 Economic Loss: $15,590,000,000 SeaTac Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.2 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 375,954 Fatalities: 16 - 123 Injuries: 1,394 - 3,404 Economic Loss: $13,400,000,000 Tacoma Fault Like a sonogram, the seismic surveys allowed Johnson to see outlines of massive fissures in the earths crust. The buildings sank when ground shaking weakened the underlying sediments. The SWIF was first recognized and mapped at a regional scale by Gower and others (1985) on the basis of gravity and aeromagnetic anomaly maps. The boundary between the two plates covers a large area and can lock together. This can cause landslides to occur where they wouldnt normally happen. This fault produces some of the largest and most damaging earthquakes in the world (M9). And experts fear it could be even worse than The Big One.. Scientists at the Washington Geological Survey, the U.S. Geological Survey, universities, and many private geologic consulting firms work diligently to understand how often earthquakes happen on various faults throughout Washington. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Liquefaction has caused significant damage during earthquakes in Washington. Much of the land along the southwestern part of the lake cracked and subsided. The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a very active strike-slip fault. This fundamental tool for earth scientists, maps show map units, faults and folds, cross sections, and other regional or local features, depending on map scale. Aftershocks can be nearly as large as the main earthquake and can cause significant additional damage. This is called liquefaction and is discussed in the next section. Earthquakes cause damage by moving and shaking the ground, sometimes for several minutes. Lidar maps show the Earths surface without vegetation. An increase of 2 means that ~1,000 times more energy is released. What about the localized tsunami risk? Sensitive seismographs located throughout the state, and all over the world, measure this seismic energy. It forms the northern boundary of the Everett basin and lies along a series of high-amplitude aeromagnetic anomalies that extend from the Cascade Mountains to Vancouver Island, B.C. Ground shaking is a hazard near the epicenter of an earthquake and also in areas far from the earthquake where amplification occurs. 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget Lowland, Washington, S. Y. Johnson, C. J. Potter, J.M. Once a fault is located, it is important to know if it is active. This is an active fault.. Faults can also be grouped based on what part of the crust they occur in. A special type of shallow fault, called a subduction zone or megathrust, occurs where an oceanic plate moves beneath a continental plate. When an earthquake happens there will not be time to google what you are supposed to do. Never use a lighter or match near damaged areas. The combination of all of these effects is what makes earthquakes such a powerful geologic hazard. Check out the liquefaction susceptibility and NEHRP site class maps on the Geologic Hazard Maps page. What makes these faults mega is that the amount of energy released is hundreds to thousands of times more than almost any other type of fault. Electricity, water, natural gas, and phones may not work. Photo from, Liquefaction can be a big problem. This might include flammable appliances like a water heater, tall items like book cases, or heavy pictures. The map is from a, This car was parked on sand during the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). This kind of grouping gives us information about how common earthquakes might be and how large an area may be affected. This is similar to how sound is quieter when you move away from a speaker. The buildings in this photo were built on soft materials that liquefied during the 1964 Niigata earthquake in Japan. The moment magnitude scale is a type of logarithmic scale, where each increase of 1 means ~32 times more energy is released. This map of Puget Sound shows the location of the methane plumes (yellow and white circles) detected along the ship's path (purple). But the mapping offered geological clues that the newly found fault was indeed capable of future quakes. The fault zone, known to geologists as SWIF, cuts through Puget Sound in a diagonal line roughly from Port Townsend to the southern tip of Whidbey Island, then to Mukilteo, Bothell, North Bend and possibly farther east below the Cascades. 1 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada 2 Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA These combination faults are called oblique faults and include the Seattle fault, southern Whidbey Island fault zone, and DarringtonDevils Mountain fault zone. The material becomes so weak that it behaves more like a liquid than a solid. America is going to be punished just like the rest of the world. An earthquake occurs when rock inside the Earth moves or breaks. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Clicking on the map will download the publication. Once the shaking has stopped, exit the building if it is safe to do so. Johnson and others (1996 #4751) described the structure and stratigraphy of the southern Whidbey Island fault zone. In the area of North Bend, the fault zone is 4 miles wide and consists of a series of parallel faults. So they dont necessarily know the threats they face.. During the shaking liquefaction occurred, the sand lost its strength, and the car sunk. For each increase in earthquake magnitude, there are about 10 times fewer earthquakes. Gower (1980 #6229) showed and named the "southern Whidbey Island fault," and Gower and others (1985 #4725) showed this fault on their seismotectonic map of the Puget Sound region and briefly outlined its geologic relationships. Geologists and geophysicists at the Washington Geological Survey map out these areas of amplification to help reduce damage during an earthquake. Radiocarbon dating and other paleoseismic methods have also confirmed this date. The Survey works to increase public and scientific understanding of fault and earthquake hazards in our state. Kristin D. Morell 1 *, Christine Regalla 2, Lucinda J. Leonard 3, Colin Amos 4, Vic Levson 5. The fault probably originated during the early Eocene as a dextral strike-slip fault along the eastern side of a continental-margin rift. In fact, new faults are found every year during our geologic mapping efforts. Theres a reason the lands around the Pacific Ocean are called the Ring of Fire. The earthquakes, tsunamis, and the proximity of volcanos are all part of the same system. The southern Whidbey fault is unlike more visible faults on the West Coast. Earthquakes can trigger landslides and tsunamis which can happen after the main event. HAZARD MAPS As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. This is a very good example of a strike-slip fault. One of the best views of SWIF should be from Grand Avenue Park in Everett. In the early 2000s, USGS scientists including Brian Sherrod set out to further Johnsons work and better understand the slumbering fissure. The height difference likely was caused by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on the fault about 2,700 years ago, Sherrod said. The fault has at least three almost parallel strands within a 4- to 7-mile-wide band, stretching eastward from Vancouver Island. The Port of Coupeville will apply for a grant to fund two electric vehicle charging stations. As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. There are also many faults that have not been studied enough to know if they are active. The biggest one is called the South Whidbey Island fault, and it's thought to run from Victoria, B.C., through Woodinville and possibly beyond. Camano Island, WA 98282, Mailing Address Coupeville, WA 98239, Main Line: Faults can be grouped based on their relative movement into three types. %PDF-1.5 In Washington, we do not have tsunami walls. Emergency planners all had a simple message: Its not IF a disaster will happen, its WHEN. In general, larger faults make larger earthquakes. East of Puget Sound, the SWIF makes landfall between the cities of Seattle and Everett but is concealed . x\[s8~OU)! Strabge sounds very good report thanks a lot. of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 351310, Univ. Its significantly larger than the Seattle Fault, and South Whidbey could hand us a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. A strike-slip fault occurs when two blocks move past each other. Stratigraphy and diatom assemblages of the marsh cores suggest Crockett Marsh underwent a 12 m of abrupt uplift relative to sea level at a time that relative sea level remained the same at Hancock Marsh. Map by And while scientists keep digging for more information and more situational awareness of what we face, the other problem is human. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Southeast Extension of the Southern Whidbey Island Fault, Washington: Implications for Earthquake Hazards, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). For example, if there is one M7 earthquakes in an area every 1,000 years, then there will be about 10 M6 earthquakes, 100 M5 earthquakes, and 1,000 M4 earthquakes during the same 1,000 years. The western half of Washington state is considered earthquake country, with the potential for very large quakes. Before modern record keeping, Native Americans lived in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. Fir trees near the failure are tilted and indicate rotation into the lake (to the left of the photo). Roads, bridges, or ramps may have been damaged by the earthquake. One model suggests it extends to about 30 miles east of Yakima. The Safe America Foundation suggests texting as a way of communication. Large earthquakes, like those from the Cascadia subduction zone on January 26, 1700, often create tsunamis. This video from the 2011 Tohoku subduction zone earthquake shows the earthquakes before, during, and after the main M8.7 event on March 11 (at 1:50 in the video). Later movement on this long-term active fault zone cut the volcano. <>>> Bookcases and china cabinets topple, trapping people beneath. Despite its location well offshore, a Cascadia quake would likely kill at least 10,000 and injure more than 30,000 in Washington, Murphy found. 4 0 obj DO NOT get in a doorway. An official website of the United States government. Johnson et al. Not all faults are active. These quakes are capable of magnitudes from 7 to over 9. Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 2 U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M/S . We work closely with the Washington Emergency Management Division, the Washington Seismic Safety Committee, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that the best-available science is used in the development of hazard mitigation plans. Washington State Earthquake Hazard Map. Another piece can be seen under the elevated lanes of northbound Interstate 5 in South Seattle not far from the Rainier brewery. 2 0 obj Each peak of the Olympics stuck out with picturesque clarity in the distance. The threat to Puget Sound from a quake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, is well documented. Do not exit a building during the shaking. The most recent hit roughly 2,700 years ago. Evidence for Quaternary movement on the southern Whidbey Island fault includes (1) offset and disrupted upper Quaternary strata imaged on seismic-reflection profiles; (2) borehole data that suggests as much as 420 m of structural relief on the Tertiary-Quaternary boundary in the fault zone; (3) several meters of displacement along exposed faults in upper Quaternary sediments; (4) late Quaternary folds with limb dips of as much as ???9?? Oblique convergence and clockwise rotation along the continental margin are the inferred driving forces for ongoing deformation. Finding nothing of serious monetary value, the companies abandoned reams of information they had gathered through seismic surveys. Doctor reveals the horrors Italian medics are facing in overwhelmed hospitals where dying patients are being left untreated as experts warn UK and US are just two weeks behind Italy and the public are not SCARED enough, An intensive care doctor in northern Italy has described the scale of the crisis The study of seismic waves is called seismology and has allowed scientists to learn much about the internal structure of the Earth. STAY THERE until the shaking stops. EVERETT The South Whidbey Island Fault is connected to a system of powerful earthquake fault lines stretching from Victoria, B.C., to Yakima that is capable of unleashing a devastating. In the late 1960s, speculators considered the Puget Sound region a frontier for petroleum exploration. /L\Axc4Q/w4Ks^#, sRITgZf>,e}iI5,F_ADGc?f e@L. It could also create dangerous currents and hazards to the north including Everett. Tsunami waves can travel over 500 miles per hour in the open ocean. This new method allows geologists to see through trees and vegetation to find new faults. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, pandemics, too many people think it cant happen to them and they still think that they can still make a quick run to Walmart to pick up enough to last for 2-3 days and then the govt. On an inactive fault, the sea would have risen at the same rate at both locations. Geologists have used the location of these shallow, intermediate, and deep earthquakes to learn about subduction zones throughout the world. However, seismic tomography studies (Brocher and others, 2001 #4718) reveal that only the northwestern end of the fault zone in the southeastern Strait of Juan de Fuca is associated with a strong velocity contrast. . The Flying Squirrel and Mountain Beaver trenches cross the Cottage Lake lineament. A paleoseismologist will look for surface ruptures along faults and may use carbon-14 dating to learn when the rupture happened. For example, a M7 earthquake releases 32 times more energy than a M6 earthquake, and 1,000 times more than a M5 earthquake. View of the Sunset Lake liquefaction failure about three weeks after the earthquake. Even if the earthquake is too small to be felt by people, seismographs can detect it. The southern Whidbey Island fault divides the two. Liquefaction can be a big problem. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Consider whether earthquake insurance is right for you. There are also tsunami evacuation signs on the highways. This means that a tsunami made by an earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone will start to impact the Washington coast in less than 15 minutes.

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