The Cascadia Subduction Zone poses a significant threat to the Pacific Northwest, with the potential for a megathrust earthquake that could occur when two tectonic plates finally slip. This earthquake could reach magnitudes of 8 or 9, causing immense shaking and triggering tsunamis. However, an underreported danger is subsidence, where the land could drop dramatically after the quake, risking many coastal communities. New studies suggest this subsidence could increase the flood exposure risk, highlighting a gap in current flood maps and insurance assessments.
When the plates finally slip, they'll unleash what scientists call a megathrust earthquake, or 'the great quake' in layman's terms.
New research shows subsidence following the great quake could double, or even triple, the number of people and properties exposed to catastrophic flooding.
During one of these over magnitude 8, probably up to magnitude 9 earthquakes, the land actually deforms and drops down up to 6 feet or 2 meters.
Basically causing sea level rise of 6 feet within minutes.
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