A new study has provided the first detailed images of a developing subduction zone off the coast of British Columbia's Haida Gwaii archipelago. Researchers used underwater microphones to collect data, confirming that the Queen Charlotte fault system can cause powerful megathrust earthquakes, resulting in significant shaking and tsunamis. The region, where the Pacific plate is subducting beneath the North American plate, poses the greatest seismic hazard in Canada. These findings aid in understanding the fault structure and improve hazard analysis for future seismic events.
The study confirms that the Queen Charlotte fault system can generate powerful megathrust earthquakes, which are capable of producing strong shaking and tsunamis.
This region is actively becoming a subduction zone, so understanding the fault structure here tells us about the early stages of subduction zone development.
Our study provides the first direct observations of the Haida Gwaii thrust, the 'megathrust' of this system, which can help improve hazard analysis in the region.
The Queen Charlotte fault system represents the greatest seismic hazard in Canada, producing the country's largest recorded earthquake in 1949.
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