1,000-foot-tall ‘mega-tsunami’ threatens US across three regions
By Brooke Steinber
Experts have issued a warning about a potential “mega-tsunami” that could sweep away entire communities with its massive waves.
Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast face an ongoing threat due to how close they are to disaster zones — and the West Coast just received a renewed warning.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that an earthquake could erupt along the Cascadia subduction zone, a fault that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California.
The Cascadia subduction zone is a fault that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino, California.
Google Earth
Researchers from Virginia Tech found that a potential powerful earthquake combined with rising sea levels could lead to a mega-tsunami, most severely impacting residents and properties in Northern California, northern Oregon and southern Washington.
A mega-tsunami is a disastrous wave caused by the displacement of ocean water, which can be triggered by earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions.
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The experts stressed that the fault line has a 15% chance of creating an earthquake with a magnitude 8.0 or greater within the next 50 years, which could cause coastal land to sink up to 6.5 feet.
“The expansion of the coastal floodplain following a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake has not been previously quantified, and the impacts to land use could significantly increase the timeline to recovery,” Tina Dura, lead author of the study and assistant professor of geosciences in the College of Science, said in a statement.
Block diagram showing subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate along the Cascadia Trench, which is the western edge of the Cascadia subduction zone.
USGS
Alaska has continued to be a hotspot for landslides due to its rugged terrain and frequent earthquakes, and with the threat of climate change melting glaciers, slopes are becoming destabilized and rocks are loosening, the Daily Mail reported.
In Hawaii, volcanic islands have a long history of mega-tsunamis caused by collapsing volcanoes. About 105,000 years ago, a 1,000-foot wave crashed into the island of Lanai.
Volcanoes in Hawaii grow by layers of lava piling up, which can cause unstable slopes with the potential for collapse, especially during volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. This can lead to millions of rocks sliding into the ocean, displacing the water and creating mega-tsunami.
Tidal wave approaching the city
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A mega-tsunami is a disastrous wave caused by the displacement of ocean water, which can be triggered by earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions.
Christophe Fouquin – stock.adobe.com
Since Hawaii’s volcanoes remain active, there’s still a great threat, especially on the Big Island’s southeast side, where “younger” volcanoes, such as Mauna Loa and Kilauea, are currently active. Kilauea has been ejecting lava for months, with its last eruption ending on May 6.
Over on the West Coast, the Cascadia subduction zone continues to be one of the most active seismic areas in North America — and there’s a high probability of another major earthquake hitting in the coming decades.
The Cascadia subduction zone is part of the “Ring of Fire,” where the Pacific Plate meets another tectonic plate and causes the “strongest earthquakes in the world” as well as a majority of volcanic eruptions.
Kilauea volcano in Hawaii spewing lava on April 1, 2025, image provided by USGS and M. Patrick
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The Kilauea volcano has been actively ejecting lava for months, with its last eruption ending on May 6.
via REUTERS
However, the study authors noted that an earthquake with a seismic magnitude over 8.0 has not occurred in the region since Jan. 26, 1700.
“Cascadia is a unique place. It’s not super heavily populated, but most estuaries have a community in them, and they’re all right in the zone of subsidence,” Dura said. “This is honestly where I think the subsidence could have bigger impacts than it has during other recent large earthquakes around the world.”
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