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A powerful mega-tsunami could strike large portions of the United States — particularly the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Hawaii — due to a potentially massive earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, scientists have warned. The alert stems from new research by Virginia Tech geoscientists, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.This part of the US has a 15 percent chance of experiencing an earthquake greater than magnitude 8.0 in the next 50 years, the researchers wrote in the study. The quake could cause coastal land to subside by as much as 6.5 feet, severely worsening the tsunami’s destructive impact.Cascadia subduction zone: A sleeping giantThe Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 600-mile-long convergent fault line stretching from Cape Mendocino, California, to northern Vancouver Island, Canada. It’s where the Juan de Fuca Plate is slowly sliding beneath the North American Plate — a geological setup that, researchers warn, is capable of producing mega-thrust earthquakes.Coastal states on high alertAccording to the study, the areas most at risk include Northern California, northern Oregon, and southern Washington, though Alaska and Hawaii remain vulnerable due to their proximity to seismic and volcanic zones.What is a mega-tsunami?Unlike ordinary tsunamis, which can be caused by undersea earthquakes or landslides and result in wave heights of several feet, a mega-tsunami is defined by its extreme wave height and reach. These waves, triggered by massive underwater displacements, can soar hundreds of feet high and travel miles inland.
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