Through a study that lasted just over a month, a prestigious science magazine created a high-precision map that reflects the Cascadia subduction zonethe megafault divided into four segments that could cause an intense earthquake that would have severe effects on the lives of people residing in Washington, Oregon and northern California, in the United States.
Based on a study that lasted forty-one days, researchers published in the journal Science Advances a high-precision map of the appearance of the geological fracture by using hydrophones that were placed along more than 885 kilometersand allowed you to hear the rebound of sound in the depths.
The detailed map is the product of important and extensive work by researchers, who took seismic images of active sources in the sea with a cable fourteen kilometers long and equipped with 1,200 hydrophoneswhile a team of marine mammal observers looked for signs to warn researchers in case there are any whales in the area, since the sounds of the cable can cause them harm.
The map was made by taking seismic images of active sources in the sea.
Photo:Science.org
Throughout the process, the researchers faced different difficulties, such as passage of a ship that destroyed the equipment placed on the seabedbut they managed to overcome obstacles to deliver accurate images of the Cascadia megafault.
The dangers of the Big One on the US West Coast
Several decades ago, expert geologists began to warn about the danger that the west coast of the United States faces this century of suffering a new Big Oneas they are known earthquakes that are eight points or more in magnitude. These events generally leave damage to infrastructure and represent a risk of life for people in the area.
According to information shared by the official website of the US Geological Survey (USGS), There are only seven earthquakes on record in the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault (Fort Tejón, in 1857 and in 1881 and Parkfield in 1901, in 1922, in 1934, in 1966 and in 2004).
However, none of the earthquakes came close to the nine points that the next Big One in the west of the country could reach. “We have the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis as large as the largest we have experienced on the planet“explained Harold Tobin, one of the authors of the article and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
