Skip to content

Nature

A wakeup call for the Pacific Northwest

by Michael Evans 16 Mar 2011
A wakeup call for the Pacific Northwest

The massive earthquake that hit Japan has been acknowledged as being one of the largest ever recorded.

As if the earthquake wasn't enough, it unleashed a devastating tsunami that has resulted in thousands of deaths and turned large parts of many communities into complete rubble. It is said to be the costliest disaster in world history.

Robert Yeats, Professor Emeritus of Geology at Oregon State University, called it a wakeup call for the US and said that if people hadn’t already got the message from recent disasters, now was the time to start paying attention.

''This is an earthquake of the same type, with about the same magnitude and proximity that we face here in the Pacific Northwest from the Cascadia Subduction Zone,'' said Professor Yeats. ''What you are seeing in Japan today is what you will see in our future; except that they were better prepared than we are.''

A leading expert on the Cascadia Subduction Zone is OSU marine geologist Professor Chris Goldfinger. Ironically he was attending a meeting in Tokyo on the Sumatra earthquake when the Japanese earthquake hit.

He described how the main shock lasted for a full five minutes and how you could feel the plates grinding together. He said that when the high-frequency P-wave arrived it was like nothing that he had ever felt. This was followed by five minutes of S-waves that made one feel seasick. After that there were continual aftershocks.

Professor Yeats commented that in spite of the tragic loss of life and the billions of dollars in damage that will result, the Japanese were better prepared for this sort of disaster than anyone else in the world. ''Their technology, building codes, public education and other programmes for earthquake preparation are exemplary, with scientific initiatives that date back to the 1890s.''

Professor Yeats says that in spite of what seems to have been an unusually large number of earthquakes recently, the last decade does not really stand out all that much in the historical sense.

These disturbances are not completely regular and during some periods there are more disasters than others. The real message was that the Earth is very active and sometimes violent. It always has been and it always will be. It is impossible to predict these events, so we must always be prepared.

A possible way to escape from the effects of a tsunami is to take refuge at the top of strong concrete buildings. This is known as vertical evacuation. It is regarded as being too early to tell if vertical evacuation on a large scale would be effective in a massive earthquake.

OSU experts have worked closely with officials in Cannon Beach Oregon in an initiative to build what would be the US’s first structure designed specifically to resist tsunami wave forces.

Meanwhile experts are continuing to learn what they can from each disaster of this type in order to gain insights that may one day save lives, if and when a similar disaster hits the US Pacific Northwest.


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping