southern whidbey island fault map southern whidbey island fault map

The continued movement along faults over millions of years can build mountains, tear a continent apart, and move tectonic plates thousands of miles. Faults are features in the Earths crust where rock periodically breaks and moves, releasing seismic energy and creating an earthquake. Around Puget Sound, it seems everyone knows about The Big One, the potential magnitude 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone megaquake some scientists say is due any day. Since about 1870 there have been about 15 large earthquakes (greater than M5) in the state. Still think well avoid Gods wrath, its not going to happen regardless of what the multi millionaire TV preachers tell you. The northwestern part of the fault zone forms the northeastern limit of the Port Townsend basin (Brocher and others, 2001 #4718). In places where there is little vegetation, different rock types and faults can be found with relative ease. The Moment Magnitude Scale (M) measures the total amount of seismic energy (known as moment to engineers and seismologists) released by an earthquake. Once a fault is located, it is important to know if it is active. Other types of seismic energy (S waves) also travel through the earth, but they move with a side-to-side (shearing) motion. Over time, fault movement has created some interesting geologic features. Some people in places like SODO and Harbor Island may have to flee to higher floors in a building. The southeastern and central parts of the southern Whidbey Island fault zone form the southwest margin of the Everett basin and northeast boundary of the Seattle basin. In some areas getting up a hill to higher ground will be difficult. You can look at different geological hazard mapson the website of the Department of Natural Resources. At a downtown coffee shop, the mugs begin to chatter. In the early 2000s, USGS scientists including Brian Sherrod set out to further Johnsons work and better understand the slumbering fissure. The threat to Puget Sound from a quake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, is well documented. The tsunami becomes taller as the ocean becomes shallow. These sediments were laid down 20,000 to 60,000 years ago, before the last ice age. This is a hypothetical scenario created by Mark Murphy of the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management. This scenario was modeled on the part of the SWIF from Woodinville to just west of Whidbey Island. Emergency planners all had a simple message: Its not IF a disaster will happen, its WHEN. These include the: Southern Whidbey Island Fault (SWIF) Seattle Fault Devils Mountain Fault Strawberry Point fault Utsalady Point fault Hundreds could die, with thousands more injured. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). Scientists are not sure how far east it goes. Fault Activity Map of California Seattle Fault and Whidbey Faults HAZARD MAPS As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. The boundary between the two plates covers a large area and can lock together. Faults can also occur within a tectonic plate when the plate itself is deforming. Official websites use .gov The southern Whidbey Island fault (SWIF) stretches from the vicinity of Victoria, B.C., across Puget Sound as far as the Cascade Range. 572 Last Review Date: 2016-11-29 Earthquake Hazards - Maps | U.S. Geological Survey If you are in bed: STAY there and COVER your head and neck with a pillow. At the time, Johnson worked in southwest Washington, searching for natural gas and oil deposits. Roads, bridges, or ramps may have been damaged by the earthquake. Power could be out for days. The Geologic Information Portal has a Natural Hazards theme that shows active faults and earthquakes. This kind of grouping gives us information about how common earthquakes might be and how large an area may be affected. In the late 1960s, speculators considered the Puget Sound region a frontier for petroleum exploration. Puget Sound faults - Wikipedia The southern Whidbey Island fault divides the two. The fault's length depends on whom you ask, Sherrod said. 4 0 obj What scientists dont know is its timing interval. When an earthquake happens there will not be time to google what you are supposed to do. The Darrington-Devils Mountain fault zone is located in southern Skagit County and northern Snohomish County. The most important thing you can do before the next earthquake is to prepare. But Forson says you also need to know what to do when the shaking happens. For example, in the open ocean a tsunami may be less than a few feet tall. An increase of 2 means that ~1,000 times more energy is released. HOLOCENE FAULT SCARPS AND SHALLOW MAGNETIC ANOMALIES ALONG THE SOUTHERN WHIDBEY ISLAND FAULT ZONE NEAR WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON By Brian L. Sherrod1, Richard J. Blakely2, Craig Weaver1, Harvey Kelsey3, Elizabeth Barnett1, and Ray Wells4 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Dept. California Geological Survey. And what were looking at is water.. M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern One of the most important new technologies for finding faults (and landslides too) is called lidar. Higher risk areas are in orange and lower risk areas are in green. An earthquake along the southern Whidbey Island fault reshaped the land some 2,700 years ago. Photo by G.K. Gilbert, from the Steinbrugge Collection of the UC Berkeley Earthquake Engineering Research Center. 1 NE 7th Street Depending on the type of fault, the ground can move laterally, vertically, or a combination of both. Tsunamis and seiches are destructive waves which can be triggered by certain types of large earthquakes. At the Brightwater treatment plant in Woodinville and at Crystal Lake in Maltby, the government researchers found telltale slopes of offset ground, known as scarps, indicative of a long-ago quake. Maps. Notable earthquakes in bold happened in Washington. By Julia-Grace Sanders The Everett Herald May 14, 2021 2:40 pm, Luella Meaux: November 21, 1929 January 21, 2023, Claudia Anderson: October 1, 1939 January 31, 2023, Chieko Yamane Miller: July 26, 1936 February 16, 2023, Guarding the flock: Chicken farms rely on specialized dogs, Flying colors: Irish artist finds success on Whidbey. Stratigraphy and diatom assemblages of the marsh cores suggest Crockett Marsh underwent a 12 m of abrupt uplift relative to sea level at a time that relative sea level remained the same at Hancock Marsh. Sherrod says practically every place they. endobj The last major earthquake was over 300 years ago. Not all faults are active. Later movement on this long-term active fault zone cut the volcano. A major southern Whidbey quake, on the other hand, could kill and injure many more, according to Murphy. M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern Overview Interactive Map Regional Information Impact ShakeMap Technical Origin Download Event KML Earthquakes Hazards Data & Products Learn Monitoring Research M 7.4 Scenario Earthquake - Southern Whidbey Island fault-southern 2017-05-12 20:14:09 (UTC) 48.036N 122.452W The southern Whidbey Island fault represents a segment of a boundary between two major crustal blocks. Many landslide-prone areas of Washington are also located near active faults. Photo from, Liquefaction can be a big problem. Other faults are inactive and are left over from much older periods of deformation. The southern Whidbey Island fault zone (SWIF), as previously mapped using borehole data, potential field anomalies, and marine seismic reflection surveys, consists of three subparallel, northwest trending strands extending ~100 km from near Vancouver Island to the northern Puget Lowland. However, we can learn which faults are active and which are inactive. Scientists are not sure how far east it goes. Devils Mountain Fault -- Online Professional Paper - USGS (1999 . This photo shows a fence that was offset about 8.5 feet during the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake on the San Andreas fault. Why is Strange Sounds focusing so much on disaster preps? The strength of ground shaking (called strong motion by seismologists) usually decreases with distance from the earthquake source. Johnson et al. Electricity, water, natural gas, and phones may not work. The moment magnitude scale is a type of logarithmic scale, where each increase of 1 means ~32 times more energy is released. View Earthquake Map Faults Interactive fault map and comprehensive geologically based information on known or suspected active faults and folds in the United States. Johnson and others (1996 #4751) described the structure and stratigraphy of the southern Whidbey Island fault zone. Many faults have not been studied enough to know if they are active. A magnitude 7.4 along the southern Whidbey fault would rattle 18 counties in Washington, according to a federal projection . This means that a large area feels the shaking, but the intensity is less than a similar shallow earthquake. The Cascade block to the northeast is floored by diverse assemblages of pre-Tertiary rocks; the Coast Range block to the southwest is floored by lower Eocene marine basaltic rocks of the Crescent Formation. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget Lowland Washington, Geological Society of America Bulletin 1996;108;334-354. Its significantly larger than the Seattle Fault, and South Whidbey could hand us a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS So the fault remained mostly a mystery until the 1990s. This fault will have an earthquake in the future, but we cannot predict exactly when. Swarm of hundreds of small earthquakes rattle Vancouver Island. These types of faults are common, but usually small. Although both seiches and tsunamis can be large and destructive, they are created differently. Puget Sound Earthquake Faults - Seattle Earthquake Faults For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the interactive fault map. The South Whidbey Island Fault is also dangerous. This averages to ~660 to 525 years between events, but there is a lot of variation. Small talk stops. Seattle Fault - Wikipedia They havent dug up enough history to estimate. The affiliate sales will help us to continue the hard work we are putting in this website. Moving inland, the Seattle Fault is capable of a magnitude 7. It devastated the coast of the Pacific Northwest and sent an orphan tsunami to Japan. Emergency Management Earthquake - Island County, Washington Geologic maps of 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles covering parts of the Seattle fault and southern Whidbey Island fault zone are available on the DNR website as: Sign-up for DNR enewsletters. Doctor reveals the horrors Italian medics are facing in overwhelmed hospitals where dying patients are being left untreated as experts warn UK and US are just two weeks behind Italy and the public are not SCARED enough, An intensive care doctor in northern Italy has described the scale of the crisis Geologists have used the location of these shallow, intermediate, and deep earthquakes to learn about subduction zones throughout the world. His team wanted to find the rate of sea level rise along the shore. One of the best views of SWIF should be from Grand Avenue Park in Everett. We do know that it is active and will likely produce a large M67.5 earthquake when it next ruptures. The fault has at least three almost parallel strands within a 4- to 7-mile-wide band, stretching eastward from Vancouver Island. Doorways do not provide protection from falling or flying objects and you may not be able to remain standing. One of these cracks appeared along the pathway around Green Lake. Most damage and loss of life in earthquakes is a result of ground shaking. The more you know what to expect, the better prepared you will be to help yourself, your family, and others around you. As of January 12, 2017, the USGS maintains a limited number of metadata fields that characterize the Quaternary faults and folds of the United States. A community meeting about a shelter at the Harbor Inn may have yielded more questions than answers. Finding Concealed Active Faults: Extending the Southern Whidbey Island % This is similar to how sound is quieter when you move away from a speaker. Visit our School Seismic Safety page for more information. The years have gone by. Most are too small to be felt or cause damage. They conclude the observed features have a glaciotectonic origin and are not seimotectonic. After the shaking stopped the sand regained its strength. In the area of North Bend, the fault zone is 4 miles wide and consists of a series of parallel faults. Third, the South Whidbey Island Fault running from northwest to southeast of the southern tip of the island. The April 1949 Tacoma earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter Scale and caused damage from southern Oregon to British Columbia. PDF Seismic Characterization of the Seattle and Southern Whidbey Island The Survey conducts and publishes geologic mapping to identify and characterize faults throughout the state. Most are too small to be felt or cause damage. High-resolution LiDAR topographic maps have since revealed several potential faults scarps, and subsequent studies provide more detailed information about the fault zone's past. Everything points to one thing, Sherrod said, waving his hand across the inland sea. The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a very active strike-slip fault. South Whidbey Island Fault Zone. Mapping along the Snoqualmie River valley also helped answer the important question of where the Seattle fault lies east of its last mapped position near Issaquah. The process of breaking and moving rock releases a large amount of energy that travels through the Earth as seismic waves. Information from seismic-reflection profiles, outcrops, boreholes, and potential field surveys is used to interpret the structure and history of the southern Whidbey Island fault in the Puget Lowland of western Washington. The map also shows potentially active faults from a separate 2014 report (click here to download). Hold on to any sturdy shelter until the shaking stops. Emergency Management Hazard Maps - Island County, Washington The southern Whidbey fault is unlike more visible faults on the West Coast. Washington has few large normal faults because it is mostly in a region of compression. During the shaking liquefaction occurred, the sand lost its strength, and the car sunk. The key, Sherrods group would discover, was buried on Whidbey Island under layers of mud, peat moss and decaying marsh grass in the murky tidal waters at Crockett Lake, alongside the Coupeville ferry dock. People are already fighting over toilet paper, just imagine what will it be like when they go shopping for food and the shelves are almost empty. They didnt grow up here, they havent heard this story. Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. The term active can have different meanings. This evidence can come from finding something younger than 12,000 years that has been deformed or moved by the fault. Many universities and other organizations (such as Cascadia Region Earthquake Working Group and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network) also work to understand active faults in Washington. Many low-lying areas have wet soil or sediment beneath them that could liquefy during earthquakes. One model suggests it extends to about 30 miles east of Yakima. It could also create dangerous currents and hazards to the north including Everett. 552 - Hood Canal fault zone (Class B) 570 - Seattle fault zone 572 - Southern Whidbey Island fault zone 575 - Saddle Mountain faults 581 - Tacoma fault zone. Hey Biden! Large earthquakes, like those from the Cascadia subduction zone on January 26, 1700, often create tsunamis. The 1949 earthquake near Tacoma triggered a landslide near the Tacoma Narrows that caused a local tsunami. 3 0 obj The Cascadia Subduction Zone (also known as the CSZ) is a 700-mile long fault zone located off the western coastline of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Southeast Extension of the Southern Whidbey Island Fault, Washington: Implications for Earthquake Hazards, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires. Theres approximately a 14% chance of another approximately M9 earthquake occurring in the next 50 years. View of the Sunset Lake liquefaction failure about three weeks after the earthquake. He said scientists have known about the southern Whidbey fault for decades. Then consider that the Seattle Fault is a complex of faults with various branches that run at or just below the surface. The map is from a, This car was parked on sand during the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Ready to retrofit? South Whidbey Island Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.4 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 320,776 Fatalities: 90 - 432 Injuries: 2,920 - 7,361 Economic Loss: $15,590,000,000 SeaTac Fault Earthquake Scenario: 7.2 Magnitude Buildings Damaged: 375,954 Fatalities: 16 - 123 Injuries: 1,394 - 3,404 Economic Loss: $13,400,000,000 Tacoma Fault After the shaking stopped the sand regained its strength. Photo courtesy of National Center for Tsunami Research, NOAA. Fault Activity Map of California. These combination faults are called oblique faults and include the Seattle fault, southern Whidbey Island fault zone, and DarringtonDevils Mountain fault zone. The Mercalli Intensity scale is another historical way to measure the intensity of an earthquake. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS That may not sound like much more than the magnitude 6.8 quake of 2001 based on the numbers, but that the Nisqually quake occurred some 30 miles underground. It usually also means that there are earthquakes (even small ones) on the fault. If you are already planning your Christmas gifts, please buy with us on Amazon. The Survey works to increase public and scientific understanding of fault and earthquake hazards in our state. They knew something was there, said Sam Johnson, a retired USGS geologist who would follow up on their work. Johnsons curiosity changed the course of his career. Videos: Strong M6.0 earthquake rattles Mindanao in the Philippines, Dramatic earthquake increase in Hawaii! PI22343). #4747 Blakely, R.J., Wells, R.E., and Weaver, C.S., 1999, Puget Sound aeromagnetic maps and data: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-514. PDF Holocene Fault Scarps and Shallow Magnetic Anomalies Along the Southern Stories from tribes near Seattle have also helped us to learn that the last earthquake on the Seattle fault was about AD 900950. Landslides can be caused by strong ground shaking during an earthquake. Black lines show the South Whidbey Island Fault Zone, the Seattle Fault Zone and the Tacoma Fault Zone. Johnson, on a whim, acquired the data that would prove its existence beyond a doubt. Learn about at-risk areas and become prepared. An official website of the United States government. In Washington, we do not have tsunami walls. Since the last ice age, the southern Whidbey Island fault zone has probably spawned several highly destructive shallow earthquakes. Evacuate to higher ground if you are near a large body of water. What we know about this fault is that its ruptured may times in the pastit will happen again. Even when an earthquake happens on a fault that doesnt reach the surface, the ground can still show signs of cracking. Also check out Ear to the Ground, published by the Department of Natural Resources. Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 2 U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, M/S . Other faults may lie entirely underground, or could be covered by vegetation and (or) sediment. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Read more below to learn about how and where earthquakes occur, what to do before, during, and after an earthquake, and what scientists are doing to learn more about them. The Survey has developed several types of hazard maps for different types of earthquake- and fault-related hazards: The maps are used by state and local governments to develop and update hazard-mitigation and response plans, and to mark geologically hazardous areas. 121 N East Camano Dr It might as well have been sitting in a drawer, Johnson said. Resources on tsunami danger and preparedness in Westport, Grays Harbor County, Long Beach Peninsula, and Coastal evacuation maps. This map shows areas of seismic risk from high (red) to low (grayish-green). The plate that is forced down can have faults within it that still rupture and produce earthquakes. The shaking usually lasts less than a minute and doesnt generally cause a tsunami or have many aftershocks. District Court: (800) 946-9765, South Whidbey Island Fault (SWIF) M7.4 Earthquake Scenario. With Medical Martial Law imposed in Washington state. Map of Puget Sound and Hood Canal in north-central - ResearchGate Another big one is expected, and it could be devastating. Large and damaging earthquakes are inevitable in Washington, but no one knows exactly when they will happen. The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget 3. Aftermath: Infrastructure won't fare well in a big quake Earthquakes. These fault strands follow the valley edges and control the location of the Snoqualmie River along some portions of the valley. 1 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada 2 Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA It can also make landslides that are much bigger than expected. Camano Island, WA 98282, Mailing Address endobj Its a natural curiosity.. What about the localized tsunami risk? But they didnt document it hardly at all.. The fault's length depends on whom you ask, Sherrod said. It forms the northern boundary of the Everett basin and lies along a series of high-amplitude aeromagnetic anomalies that extend from the Cascade Mountains to Vancouver Island, B.C. This uplift creates a very broad wave called a tsunami. Additional fault studies by state and federal geologists in the next few years will help determine the frequency and severity of earthquakes along these fault zones. Geologists are constantly trying to better understand the faults in our state. Using the stratigraphic column from the Freeport quadrangle map, confirm that you can recognize . Sensitive seismographs located throughout the state, and all over the world, measure this seismic energy. These differences are related to the overall pattern of stress in the crust, what types of rocks the crust is made from, and how many faults there are. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. Large earthquakes are likely to happen in Washington during your lifetime. Also, very large earthquakes were difficult to measure accurately. Learning earthquake faults around where we live is a first good way to prepare the next devastating earthquake. The Cascadia subduction zone along the Washington and Oregon coast is one of the biggest hazards to our state and is a good examples of this kind of fault. These faults and earthquakes usually occur at great depth (tens to hundreds of miles). And experts fear it could be even worse than The Big One.. Washington has the second highest risk in the U.S. of these large and damaging earthquakes because of its geologic setting. Buildings could sustain extensive damage. Check out the liquefaction susceptibility and NEHRP site class maps on the Geologic Hazard Maps page. The combination of all of these effects is what makes earthquakes such a powerful geologic hazard. Earthquakes occur nearly every day in Washington. of Earth and Space Sciences, Box 351310, Univ. Geoscientist Brian Sherrod stands near the submerged southern Whidbey Island fault line at the Brightwater Treatment Plant in Woodinville. Because they can travel great distances, tsunamis generated from earthquakes across the ocean can still cause damage. Knowing how often large earthquakes have happened in the past helps us to know how often they might occur in the future. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The San Andreas in California, for example, left gaping scars in the Earths crust, at the surface. Beef Barley and French Onion trenches cross the Little Bear Creek lineament. HomePrograms and ServicesGeologyGeologic Hazards. These maps are created by small planes that use a specific type of laser to measure the elevation of the ground. In the Pacific Northwest we use the term shallow to talk about faults and earthquakes less than 18 miles deep. HAZARD MAPS As part of the Hazard Mitigation Planning process, mapping of the hazards that have the potential to affect the jurisdiction is performed using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Shallow faults produce earthquakes in the upper 18 miles (30 kilometers) of the Earths crust. Wagner and Wiley (1983 #6230) and Wagner and Tomson (1987 #6249) mapped and briefly discussed offshore parts of this fault zone and also used the name "southern Whidbey Island fault." The Cascadia subduction zone off the Washington and Oregon coast is capable of some of the largest earthquakes in the world. 1. Buried danger: A slumbering geologic fault beneath us