[LisaT]

The Cascadia Quake is over-due...so we here, in the Great PacNorthwet, are on borrowed time. The Nisqually Quake was a wake up call for the general public, but city planners in Seattle were already working on scenarios back in 1991...which is when I had to attend a mandatory seminar concerning the risks involved during a potential Mag 10-12 quake, in a high rise. We were informed at that time, that should we be caught in the city during a large quake, we would not be going home anytime soon. Emergency services would be non-existent, the bridges would likely fail, and the tsunami would innundate all but those living on the hills in Seattle. If the ferries survived...they would become morgues. The picture painted at that time, was bleak.

While the damage inflicted during the quake will be great, the tsunami that will follow approximately 15-20 minutes later will be catastrophic. While this state does run tsunami drills routinely throughout the year, there are cracks in the system. The fact that not all the tsunami warning buoys in the Pacific are currently functioning adds to the problems. If one has any doubts as to the potential for damage, and distances that can be travelled by a tsunami, one can look at the Ghost Forest near Copalis.

Now, while the Cascade volcanoes are part of the 'Ring of Fire', they are subject to some different forces. They are representative of what are called 'hot spots'...which move incredibly slowly, as the plates move. It also explains why 'chains' of volcanoes appear...it's the hot-spot's 'trail of breadcrumbs', as it were. It's much easier to visualize what I am talking about when you look at the entire Hawaiian Island chain. Each one of those islands represents a moment in time over a hot-spot...the hot-spot created them.

Now, the Yellowstone Caldera will not become a super-volcano....it IS a super-volcano. And scientists have now been able to map the magma chamber beneath, they have found that it is actually 2x larger than they initially thought. When it goes, it will be an extinction event. But, Yellowstone is not our only super-volcano here in the US. One need only look to the Mammoth Mountain/Lakes area of California to find an equally deadly super-volcano.

Can volcanos and earthquakes be related? Absolutely. Remember, St Helens didn't erupt at first. The magma built up in the volcano's chamber, causing severe deformation of the south side of the mountain...thus making the ground extremely unstable. It was the earthquake that struck, causing the long run-out landslide, releasing pressure against the magma chamber that allowed for the mountain to blow out it's side...thus erupting.

Yes, I know way more about this geological stuff than perhaps I should...but since I live here, I might as well be informed as to the potential of what is going on under my feet. BTW...I get my information from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, as well as the USGS WA/OR...not the New Yorker.