Unlocking the Cascadia Subduction Zone's Secrets: Peering into Recent Research and Findings

Alexandria, Va. — The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 1,000-kilometer-long subduction zone stretching from Mendocino, Calif., to north of Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Those living along this stretch are occasionally treated to some shaky moments by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the massive North American Plate. But the real threat is a potentially devastating magnitude-9 earthquake and the potentially ensuing tsunami — which has happened before and will happen again. But when? And what will happen when this massive fault does start to move?

Scientists have been working diligently over the last couple of decades to answer those questions. A series of recent oceanic research cruises and datasets has steadily advanced our understanding of Cascadia, but there is still much to learn. Read more about the latest research findings as well as where their findings are taking scientists next in the August issue of EARTH Magazine: http://bit.ly/1nXx3Sm.

For more stories about the science of our planet, check out EARTH magazine online or subscribe at www.earthmagazine.org. The August issue, now available on the digital newsstand, features stories about how crowdfunding is changing the research grant landscape, how some prehistoric creatures adapted differently to the same changes in climate, and how ocean waves explain which La Niña events will last longer than a year, plus much, much more.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at: http://www.earthmagazine.org. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.