A powerful earthquake of about 9 magnitude could generate a tsunami over 18 meters high that would suddenly strike the northwest coast of the United States, according to seismologist Harold Tobin from the University of Washington.
According to Politico, along the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State lies a spit known as Ediz Hook, which stretches approximately 4.8 kilometers.
Ediz Hook Spit – (Photo: POLITICO)
At the tip of the spit is a military facility of the Coast Guard, positioned as the most beautiful location in the U.S., and it would be the first to be impacted by a tsunami.
Seismologist Harold Tobin explains: “About 210 kilometers west of Ediz Hook and 112 kilometers offshore Washington, beneath the Earth’s crust, two tectonic plates are sliding and locking against each other.”
There, the Juan de Fuca Plate is continuously sliding beneath the larger North American Plate, in a process known as subduction. Consequently, the Cascadia Subduction Zone has formed, extending over 1,127 kilometers from Mendocino Head in California to the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Canada.
Tobin’s remarks align with declarations from geologists around the world over the years.
However, Tobin issues a new warning: “Some parts of Cascadia are accumulating significant stress due to friction between the two tectonic plates. Recently, the offshore area of Washington has shown more clear signs of stress compared to Southern Oregon and Northern California.”
In other words, the Washington coast is the most likely target for the upcoming mega-earthquake and tsunami.
Can we prepare for the mega-tsunami?
With the motto “Always Ready”, the Coast Guard Air Station in Port Angeles is viewed as the first responder to any incidents. The station has three MH-65 Dolphin helicopters to protect the coast and conduct search and rescue operations along the 4,800 kilometers of Washington’s coastline.
Ediz Hook also serves as the base for four vessels ranging from 26.5 to 33.5 meters in length, along with one vessel measuring 64 meters.
However, no one can predict how quickly this disaster might occur. If unprepared, the mega-tsunami could sweep away all the Coast Guard’s preparations, along with everything else on Ediz Hook and other sandy areas and floodplains along the Washington coast.
“It’s hard to say whether we will be the first responders or the victims,” Lieutenant Kyle Cuttie, a communications officer at the station, stated.
