I spent many of my growing up years in southern California, where earthquakes were not uncommon. Numerous times I would feel the earth shake, and wait fearfully to see if it would get stronger and wonder how long it would last. I never experienced any of the very large California quakes, but it was still reassuring to live in places that were free from earthquakes. Like Oregon.
Or so I thought. In recent years we have learned much more about the risk of a very large earthquake all along the coastline in the Pacific Northwest, perhaps magnitude 9 or higher. This “fault” is known as the Cascadia subduction zone, and has been the site of very powerful earthquakes every few hundred years. The most recent was in January, 1700. So one might say we are due anytime.
Here is a link to the very interesting and informative article in the New Yorker on the topic:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
This article seems to have galvanized awareness and reaction here in the Pacific Northwest, which, though disconcerting, is a good thing. Because we are woefully unprepared, since we have long thought earthquake risk was minimal.
I’ll share more thoughts in subsequent posts.