Essay On Caascadia Subduction Zone

Spanning from Cape Mendocino California to Vancouver Island, Canada, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 1000 km long fault line that exists between the North American continental and Juan de Fuca oceanic plates. The danger of the this tremendous fault line is that the Juan De Fuca plate is being forced into the western side of the North American tectonic plate. Instead of sliding underneath, the Juan de Fuca has been stuck, forcing itself into the side of North America. This subduction zone is an interesting topic to me because an earthquake of that magnitude calls for tremendous preparation and building accountability. Explained by New York Times columnist Kathryn Schultz, “the stuck edge of North America is bulging upward and compressing eastward, at the rate of, respectively, three to four millimeters and thirty to forty millimeters a year”. While it doesn't seem like much, the result of the collision will be catastrophic. I am
In order to create a comprehensive review of the imminent earthquake I wanted to provide sufficient evidence of the moving plates in the Cascadia subduction zone. Most of the Pacific Northwest cities are full of slender structural frames with limited shear walls that would probably collapse. Building to withstand an earthquake of this magnitude calls for better earthquake building codes instead of ranking states on likelihood of being hit. Scientists understanding of the cascadia subduction zone is relatively new, around 20 years, and so about 90% of buildings are not designed to withstand the amount of gravitational acceleration that the subduction zone has to offer. Liquefaction is also a cause of structural failure, where an earthquake transforms soil from a solid to liquid state. Many of Portland, Oregon's ODOT bridges are susceptible to liquefaction which poses serious threats on