District Court: (800) 946-9765, South Whidbey Island Fault (SWIF) M7.4 Earthquake Scenario. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. Prepare to be on your own for at least three days. The marshy deposits are about a meter higher at Lake Hancock. In Washington, we do not have tsunami walls. The 1964 M9.2 Alaska earthquake created a large tsunami from the fault rupture, and many smaller tsunamis from on-land and underwater landslides. The Cascade block to the northeast is floored by diverse assemblages of pre-Tertiary rocks; the Coast Range block to the southwest is floored by lower Eocene marine basaltic rocks of the Crescent Formation. Dishes jitter off tables, shattering on the floor. So the fault remained mostly a mystery until the 1990s. As of January 12, 2017, the USGS maintains a limited number of metadata fields that characterize the Quaternary faults and folds of the United States. The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget The SWIF has been assessed by the USGS as capable of generating the largest crustal earthquake in Puget Sound. North Anatolian Fault is currently locked, accumulating stresses which could be suddenly released anytime now like the Hayward Fault in California, Videos: New destructive M7.5 earthquake hits Turkey a few hours after largest quake in 100 years kills 1300. The buildings in this photo were built on soft materials that liquefied during the 1964 Niigata earthquake in Japan. The bluff, where the cabins now sit, could have jutted up in the most recent Whidbey fault quake, Sherrod said. 3. Aftermath: Infrastructure won't fare well in a big quake It devastated the coast of the Pacific Northwest and sent an orphan tsunami to Japan. Hundreds could die, with thousands more injured. Superior Court:(800) 254-2755 The buildings sank when ground shaking weakened the underlying sediments. On a brilliant November day, Sherrod took in the panorama from the parks bluff. Quake fault under Whidbey linked to potential mainland dangers After large earthquakes there are usually many aftershock earthquakes. Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 2 U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M/S . People are already fighting over toilet paper, just imagine what will it be like when they go shopping for food and the shelves are almost empty. He said he believes dramatic shifts from that quake also may be visible on the western edge of Camano Island. He said scientists have known about the southern Whidbey fault for decades. Years ago, Howard Gower and James Yount came to the Puget lowlands to study earthquake risks and stumbled on what appeared to be a fault in Island and Snohomish counties. The threat to Puget Sound from a quake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, is well documented. All Rights Reserved 2021, Site Disclaimer The material becomes so weak that it behaves more like a liquid than a solid. Radiocarbon dating and other paleoseismic methods have also confirmed this date. M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern Overview Interactive Map Regional Information Impact ShakeMap Technical Origin Download Event KML Earthquakes Hazards Data & Products Learn Monitoring Research M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern 2017-05-12 20:14:09 (UTC) 48.036N 122.452W Some of these faults are in remote areas. Stories from tribes near Seattle have also helped us to learn that the last earthquake on the Seattle fault was about AD 900950. While the intensity of this seismic event has now decreased, a big earthquake is overdue in the region. The tsunamis can travel far inland and deposit layers of sand and organic material. It could also create dangerous currents and hazards to the north including Everett. Most are too small to be felt or cause damage. Its just the way scientists work, he said. The French Onion trench exposed glaciolacustrine claystones, till, colluvial deposits, and Holocene soils. Emergency planners all had a simple message: Its not IF a disaster will happen, its WHEN. Some parts of major cities (including Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia) have been built on land that was reclaimed from soft and wet tidal ocean areas. Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. PDF Modeling a Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake on the Southern Whidbey Island A drill rig left of the blockade is collecting data about the failure. Johnsons curiosity changed the course of his career. The process of breaking and moving rock releases a large amount of energy that travels through the Earth as seismic waves. And experts fear it could be even worse than The Big One.. 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget Lowland, Washington, S. Y. Johnson, C. J. Potter, J.M. Johnson and others . Tsunamis triggered by earthquakes usually require at least a M7 event. What about the localized tsunami risk? The trench did expose faults, but it was not possible to conclusively demonstrate offset of Holocene units. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires. Faults can also be grouped based on what part of the crust they occur in. <> It can also make landslides that are much bigger than expected. Whidbey fault quake potentially a bigger 'Big One' The affiliate sales will help us to continue the hard work we are putting in this website. The last large earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone was in 1700. Each year we map additional areas and learn more about existing faults and (or) discover new ones. This means that a tsunami made by an earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone will start to impact the Washington coast in less than 15 minutes. These and other problems led to the search for a scale that was based on the physical processes that happen during an earthquake. These sediments were laid down 20,000 to 60,000 years ago, before the last ice age. The Cascade block to the northeast is floored by diverse assemblages of pre-Tertiary rocks; the Coast Range block to the southwest is floored by lower Eocene marine basaltic rocks of the Crescent Formation. Others, like the Seattle fault and southern Whidbey Island fault zone, cross under major cities and pose a significant hazard. Kristin D. Morell 1 *, Christine Regalla 2, Lucinda J. Leonard 3, Colin Amos 4, Vic Levson 5. Knowing how often large earthquakes have happened in the past helps us to know how often they might occur in the future. But quiet period wont last, Strongest earthquake in 40 years rattle residents of Buffalo, NY, Is Istanbul next? The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a very active strike-slip fault. Lidar maps show the Earths surface without vegetation. High-resolution LiDAR topographic maps have since revealed several potential faults scarps, and subsequent studies provide more detailed information about the fault zone's past. This averages to ~660 to 525 years between events, but there is a lot of variation. A half dozen people reaching for the last can of soup, someone could lose their life over that. Photo courtesy of MOHAI (neg. We do know that it is active and will likely produce a large M67.5 earthquake when it next ruptures. Doorways do not provide protection from falling or flying objects and you may not be able to remain standing. Some faults reach the surface and can be found by geologists. southern Whidbey Island fault zone (Class A) No. A low-angle fault, which is not conclusively earthquake related, separates a diamicton from the overlying recessional outwash deposit. There are also many faults that have not been studied enough to know if they are active. Radiocarbon ages of macrofossils constrain uplift timing to 2.83.2 ka. If the epicenter is Everett, the SWIF could cause. Still think well avoid Gods wrath, its not going to happen regardless of what the multi millionaire TV preachers tell you. Earthquakes on faults like these may cause tsunamis in the Puget Sound region. Expect aftershocks. Small fires are the most common hazard after an earthquake. A seiche is a large standing wave caused by the resonance of a particular period of wave energy. Its significantly larger than the Seattle Fault, and South Whidbey could hand us a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. We pray for people of WA and our all north Americans as well. Notice the Seattle Fault Zone bounding the Seattle Basin to the south. /L\Axc4Q/w4Ks^#, sRITgZf>,e}iI5,F_ADGc?f e@L. Geologists do not yet know how often earthquakes happen on this fault. Earthquake Hazards - Maps | U.S. Geological Survey Both of these things can cause equal or greater damage than the actual earthquake. What makes these faults mega is that the amount of energy released is hundreds to thousands of times more than almost any other type of fault. <>>> Its a natural curiosity.. The southern Whidbey Island fault represents a segment of a boundary between two major crustal blocks. This means that when the Seattle fault ruptures the south side of the fault moves up relative to the north side. USA Earthquake Hazard Map. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Sometimes Geologists can use the offset land surface to understand how much the fault moved during the earthquake. This earthquake is along the southern Whidbey Island fault, a less-known, less-studied subterranean boundary. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, pandemics, too many people think it cant happen to them and they still think that they can still make a quick run to Walmart to pick up enough to last for 2-3 days and then the govt. Beef Barley and French Onion trenches cross the Little Bear Creek lineament. Large earthquakes, like those from the Cascadia subduction zone on January 26, 1700, often create tsunamis. The study of seismic waves is called seismology and has allowed scientists to learn much about the internal structure of the Earth. The Seattle fault last ruptured about 1,100 years ago in AD 900950. Evidence for Quaternary movement on the southern Whidbey Island fault includes (1) offset and disrupted upper Quaternary strata imaged on seismic-reflection profiles; (2) borehole data that suggests as much as 420 m of structural relief on the Tertiary-Quaternary boundary in the fault zone; (3) several meters of displacement along exposed faults in upper Quaternary sediments; (4) late Quaternary folds with limb dips of as much as ???9?? The trenches exposed glacial deposits disrupted by faults and liquefaction features. Kelsey and others (2004 #7651) compared sea-level histories at two salt marshes that straddle a northeast strand of the southern Whidbey Island fault zone: Crockett Marsh (site 572-1) located north of the northeastern fault strand is 8 km north of Hancock Marsh (site 572-2), south of the fault strand. PDF The Cottage Lake Aeromagnetic Lineament: a Possible Onshore Extension Be prepared and read more on DNR, USGS, King5, Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. Seattle Fault Lines. These faults and earthquakes usually occur at great depth (tens to hundreds of miles). Seattle Fault and Whidbey Faults HAZARD MAPS As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Although we know much about active faults and earthquakes, there is much more to learn. Gower (1980 #6229) showed and named the "southern Whidbey Island fault," and Gower and others (1985 #4725) showed this fault on their seismotectonic map of the Puget Sound region and briefly outlined its geologic relationships. In this sense, the shaking of the ground is the sound of rocks breaking and moving deep within the Earth. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). A team headed by Joe Dragovich of DNRs Division of Geology and Earth Resources,assisted by geologists from King County, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, Colorado College, and Washington State University, has been mapping in this area for the past three years. Hover over a cluster of earthquakes to learn about the different types in the Pacific Northwest. The southern Whidbey Island fault, and several others, were exposed for the first time from a camouflage of forest, ocean and glacial sediment. This map shows different seismic design categories that correlate with amount of seismic risk. Because they need large earthquakes that move the ocean floor, tsunamis are most commonly made by subduction zone faults like those found off the coasts of the Pacific Northwest, Japan, and Chile. Bubbles of methane rising from seafloor in Puget Sound Brick chimneys cascade off rooftops. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Many faults have not been studied enough to know if they are active. Tsunamis and seiches can also be triggered by large slides, both on land and underwater. A major southern Whidbey quake, on the other hand, could kill and injure many more, according to Murphy. These quakes are capable of magnitudes from 7 to over 9. This means that a large area feels the shaking, but the intensity is less than a similar shallow earthquake. Oil companies descended in search of riches. Small talk stops. In the area of North Bend, the fault zone is 4 miles wide and consists of a series of parallel faults. Another piece can be seen under the elevated lanes of northbound Interstate 5 in South Seattle not far from the Rainier brewery. Get On The List To Receive Your Daily Dose Of Weird News And Amazing Phenomena. Not all faults are active. In the month after the main earthquake there were about 60 M7 and M6 earthquakes. Even places that are far from active faults are still at risk during a large Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. 1 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada 2 Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA Other faults may lie entirely underground, or could be covered by vegetation and (or) sediment. They didnt grow up here, they havent heard this story. " A lot of people are transplants, " Forson said. Seismic waves travel at hundreds to thousands of miles per hour and quickly reach the surface where they are felt or measured. Geologists and geophysicists at the Washington Geological Survey map out these areas of amplification to help reduce damage during an earthquake. For example, the DNR team found evidence that the rocks creating Snoqualmie Falls are much younger than previously thought. Image from the, Aquatic Lands Habitat Restoration Program, South Lake Washington Restoration Project, Scientific and Technical Support to Aquatic Programs, Washington Geologic Survey Publications Catalog, Washington Geologic Survey Photograph Collection, Wetlands of High Conservation Value Map Viewer, Timber Sale Remaining Volume by Purchaser Reports, Spanish - Brocha, Salal y Otros Productos Forestales, Complete: Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan, Community Wildfire Resilience and Preparedness, Utility Wildland Fire Prevention Advisory Committee, Blanchard, Reiter, Walker Valley and Nearby Islands, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee, Teanaway Community Forest Advisory Committee Past Meetings, Faults and Earthquakes in Washington State, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Seismo Blog, https://buildingfailures.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/tiltedbuilding.jpg, Pacific Geoscience Center of the Natural Resources of Canada. Earthquakes can trigger landslides and tsunamis which can happen after the main event. Because they rupture at such great depth, their seismic energy is distributed over a large area. South Whidbey fault has potential for major quake Here, were looking at one of the bigger faults in the region, he said. Puget Sound faults - Wikipedia Black lines are trace projections of the South Whidbey Island Fault, Seattle Fault Zone, and Tacoma Fault Zone faults and the N-S Hood Canal and Puget Sound faults of S. Y. Johnson et al. Sherrods son has since completed graduate school in applied geosciences. It forms the northern boundary of the Everett basin and lies along a series of high-amplitude aeromagnetic anomalies that extend from the Cascade Mountains to Vancouver Island, B.C. The more you know what to expect, the better prepared you will be to help yourself, your family, and others around you. Johnson and others (1996 #4751) described multiple sub-parallel strands and referred to the overall structure as the "southern Whidbey Island fault zone," and this name is also used herein for this zone of faults that crosses the southern part of Whidbey Island. 121 N East Camano Dr It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Seattle Fault - Wikipedia Emergency Management Earthquake - Island County, Washington Once the shaking has stopped, exit the building if it is safe to do so. Though it was not directly related to Johnsons work, he asked a friend working for Mobil Oil to pass along the information. Know what other hazards you might face. Do you live or work near an area that could have liquefaction? Stratigraphy in the Flying Squirrel trench showed gentle warping of late glacial and post-glacial sediments; no faults were exposed. The Cascadia subduction zone last ruptured over 300 years ago on January 26, 1700. , * NOTE: Hazard maps for each jurisdiction will only be included if that jurisdiction is at risk to that hazard., Copyright Island County. Geologists have used the location of these shallow, intermediate, and deep earthquakes to learn about subduction zones throughout the world. Tohoku killed nearly 16,000 people; most died as a result of drowning or being crushed in the tsunami. Later movement on this long-term active fault zone cut the volcano. Close to shore, this same wave could reach heights of 30100 feet or more. The Cascadia Subduction Zone (also known as the CSZ) is a 700-mile long fault zone located off the western coastline of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California. The fault zone is up to 57 km, correlates with gravity and magnetic anomalies (Finn and others, 1991 #4753; Blakely and others, 1999 #4747), and has been interpreted as a complex zone of transpressional deformation (Johnson and others, 1996 #4751). This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Scientists have also dated large underwater landslides and turbidites that travel from the continental edge far out into the ocean basin. The fault, not so much. A small quake was registered in the Coupeville area just this summer. Some types of seismic energy (P waves) are similar to sound energy that is released if you break a twig or slide a chair across the floor. The below map shows that Seattle and its surroundings is constantly being rattled by small earthquakes and tremors. Areas like these are also susceptible to liquefaction. The Cascadia subduction zone along the Washington and Oregon coast is one of the biggest hazards to our state and is a good examples of this kind of fault. Although we cannot predict exactly when the next earthquake will happen, we can predict the general distribution of earthquake sizes. Throughout the world shallow earthquakes generally refer to earthquakes that are less than ~45 miles deep. 1. Buried danger: A slumbering geologic fault beneath us When the landslide hit the water it may have created a tsunami. Geoscientist Brian Sherrod stands near the submerged southern Whidbey Island fault line at the Brightwater Treatment Plant in Woodinville. The southern Whidbey Island fault divides the two. During the shaking liquefaction occurred, the sand lost its strength, and the car sunk. His team wanted to find the rate of sea level rise along the shore. HOLOCENE FAULT SCARPS AND SHALLOW MAGNETIC ANOMALIES ALONG THE SOUTHERN WHIDBEY ISLAND FAULT ZONE NEAR WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON By Brian L. Sherrod1, Richard J. Blakely2, Craig Weaver1, Harvey Kelsey3, Elizabeth Barnett1, and Ray Wells4 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Dept. These maps are created by small planes that use a specific type of laser to measure the elevation of the ground. PI22343). At the Brightwater treatment plant in Woodinville and at Crystal Lake in Maltby, the government researchers found telltale slopes of offset ground, known as scarps, indicative of a long-ago quake. This image shows the how the 1700 AD tsunami from the Pacific Northwest crossed the Pacific Ocean. These include (from north to south, see map) the: Devils Mountain Fault Strawberry Point and Utsalady Point faults Southern Whidbey Island Fault (SWIF) Rogers Belt (Mount Vernon Fault/Granite Falls Fault Zone) Cherry Creek Fault Zone Rattlesnake Mountain Fault Zone Seattle Fault Tacoma Fault Saddle Mountain Faults Moving inland, the Seattle Fault is capable of a magnitude 7. Earthquakes on shallow faults typically last 20 to 60 seconds and the shaking is localized to the general area of the fault. Nearly all earthquakes occur on faults, features in the Earth where rocks move past each other. Photo from, Liquefaction can be a big problem. These large underwater slides only occur during very large earthquakes and are one way to learn about earthquakes that happened thousands of years ago. In this photo, visitors to Green Lake Park near Seattle, Washington, have parked their bicycles as they look at the cracks made by the April 1949 earthquake. Earthquakes and Faults | WA - DNR - Washington State Department of
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