An unusual tsunami warning has been issued by a group of experts who say a ‘megatsunami‘ could devastate communities with enormous waves that would put entire populations at risk.
This new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and titled “Increased Flood Exposure in the Northeast Pacific Following Earthquake-Induced Land Subsidence and Sea Level Rise,” summarises a latent threat to three regions of the United States.
The study revealed that an earthquake could strike along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a fault that runs from northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California.
This means Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast of the continental United States face an ongoing threat due to their proximity to the disaster zone — with the West Coast having just received this new warning.
Virginia Tech researchers found that a potential earthquake, combined with rising sea levels, could trigger a tsunami that would severely impact residents and properties in Northern California, Northern Oregon, and Southern Washington.
Experts noted that the fault has a 15% chance of creating an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater within the next 50 years, which could cause coastal lands to sink by up to 6 feet.
“Coastal floodplain expansion following a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake has not been previously quantified, and land use impacts could significantly increase recovery time,” said Tina Dura, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Geosciences, in a statement.
Alaska continues to be a hotspot for landslides due to its rugged terrain and frequent earthquakes, and with climate change melting glaciers, the slopes are destabilising and rocks are becoming loose, the Daily Mail reported.
In Hawaii, the volcanic islands have a long history of megatsunamis caused by volcanic collapse. About 105,000 years ago, a 300-meter wave hit the island of Lanai.
Volcanoes in Hawaii grow by accumulating layers of lava, which can cause unstable slopes with the potential for collapse, especially during volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.
This can cause massive rockslides to plunge into the ocean, displacing water and creating a megatsunami.
The U.S. Geological Survey and FEMA have estimated that there is a 37% chance of a magnitude 8-9 earthquake occurring in Cascadia in the next 50 years.