There is evidence that an earthquake on the Seattle Fault that occurred around 900 AD produced a 16-foot tsunami. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recreated this tsunami using a model. The modelled tsunami would flood areas up to one mile inland with depths up to 5 meters.
Where would a tsunami hit Seattle?
In this situation, tsunami waves would first hit in northern Elliott Bay, which is the body of water offshore of downtown Seattle; West Seattle’s Alki Point; and the eastern shoreline of Bainbridge Island. The waves could reach Olympia, the southern-most reach of Puget Sound, within an hour and extend north to Canada.
Would a tsunami reach Seattle?
The report finds tsunami waves would reach the shoreline in fewer than 3 minutes in many places on the eastern side of Bainbridge Island, Elliott Bay, and Alki Point. The report shows inundation from such a tsunami exceeding 20 feet along the shoreline of the greater Seattle area.
How far inland is safe from tsunami?
If possible, pick areas 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level or go as far as 2 miles (3 kilometers) inland, away from the coastline. If you cannot get this high or far, go as high or far as you can.
Can a tsunami travel 50 miles inland?
Tsunamis can travel as far as 10 miles (16 km) inland, depending on the shape and slope of the shoreline.
How far will the Cascadia tsunami reach?
An earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone, a 1000-km- (~600-mile-) long fault zone that sits off the Pacific Northwest coast, can create a Cascadia tsunami that will reach the Oregon coast within 15 to 20 minutes.
How far inland will the Cascadia earthquake reach?
The shaking will be felt for hundreds of miles – from the coast all the way inland to Boise, Idaho, even to the southeast toward Sacramento in California. As one section of the sea floor drops, so will the ocean water above it creating a massive tsunami that will inundate low-lying coastal communities.
Is it safe to live in Seattle?
Seattle is one of the safest of America’s larger cities. It’s a pretty walkable place where you’re not likely to encounter a high level of violent or even petty crime.
When was the last time a tsunami hit Washington State?
The most recent significant tsunami to reach the Washington coast happened in 1964. However, historically, tsunamis have caused great damage. In 1946, a tsunami was initiated by an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska; it reached Hawaii with waves as high as 55 feet and killed 173 people.
Where is the fault line in Seattle?
Second, the Seattle Fault, which runs east to west just south of downtown Seattle. It ends up near the Cascade Mountains and west onto the Olympic Peninsula. The Seattle Fault zone crosses Bainbridge Island, West Seattle, South Seattle, and Mercer Island.
How far inland can a 100 ft tsunami go?
10 miles inland
Most tsunamis are less than 10 feet high when they hit land, but they can reach more than 100 feet high. When a tsunami comes ashore, areas less than 25 feet above sea level and within a mile of the sea will be in the greatest danger. However, tsunamis can surge up to 10 miles inland.
What is the farthest inland a tsunami has gone?
1936: Lituya Bay, Alaska
The maximum inundation distance was 610 metres (2,000 ft) inland along the north shore of the bay.
How far inland did the 2004 tsunami reach?
2 km
In many places, the waves reached as far as 2 km (1.2 mi) inland. Because the 1,600 km (1,000 mi) fault affected by the earthquake was in a nearly north–south orientation, the greatest strength of the tsunami waves was in an east–west direction.
How far would a 1000 foot tsunami travel inland?
Flooding can extend inland by 300 meters (~1000 feet) or more, covering large expanses of land with water and debris. Inundation distances can vary greatly along the shorelines, depending on the intensity of the tsunami waves, the undersea features, and the land topographic elevations.
How far inland would a 200 ft tsunami go?
20 miles inland
However, while there is no indication it could happen soon (but could), there are scientifically sound reasons for concern that at some point a mega-tsunami could engulf the entire East Coast with a wave almost 200 feet high sweeping everything and everybody up to 20 miles inland.
Can you outrun a tsunami in a car?
And NO, YOU CAN’T OUTRUN A TSUNAMI.
It’s just not possible. It doesn’t really matter how fast the wave is coming in, the point is that once you get a sign of a possible tsunami, you really shouldn’t be near the wave in the first place. Know the warning signals. Don’t ignore them or underestimate the speed of the wave.
What would a 9.0 earthquake do to Seattle?
OLYMPIA, Wash. – A 9.0 magnitude subduction earthquake off the Washington coast would generate a tsunami capable of submerging not only coastal areas but also most of the Puget Sound shoreline with churning waves of seawater several feet high for up to 14 hours, says a newly released study.
Will Portland be affected by the big one?
No! Portland is too far from the Ocean to be in danger of a tsunami. Portland, like Salem and Eugene, is in the Willamette Valley, about 60 miles from the ocean. There is a range of mountains between the valley and the ocean.
How far inland did the 1700 tsunami go?
4.4 km inland
Sediment cores and a single tidal outcrop define the spatial limit of the 1700 tsunami deposit, which extended at least 4.4 km inland.
How overdue is the Cascadia earthquake?
Currently, scientists are predicting that there is about a 37 percent chance that a megathrust earthquake of 7.1+ magnitude in this fault zone will occur in the next 50 years. This event will be felt throughout the Pacific Northwest.
What cities will be affected by the Cascadia earthquake?
Coastal Pacific Northwest
Called the Cascadia subduction zone, a big quake along this fault could affect the cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Salem, and Olympia.